


Pillow Talk

by Scorpiokagamine



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: I am so sorry, M/M, Magic-Users, Sentinel/guide mentions, gypsy magic, m-preg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-07
Updated: 2015-04-03
Packaged: 2018-02-20 05:13:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2416202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scorpiokagamine/pseuds/Scorpiokagamine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It was an accident," Armin whines an apology. "How was I supposed to know you were going to sleep with him?"</p><p>"That's all well and good, Armin," I glare at my best friend. "But you little 'accident' has gotten me three weeks pregnant with his child."</p><p>***UNDER RECONSTRUCTION***</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Comes Like

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, yes, the result of my late night shippings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.
> 
> And to anyone who wants more information, I'll leave the link I was given by a reviewer here.
> 
> post/18929758502/to-all-you-hipsters-in-the-gypsy-tag
> 
> I also further researched the topic and found other sites with the same post but other links to other similar topics.
> 
> post/18929758502/to-all-you-hipsters-in-the-gypsy-tag
> 
> /post/to-all-you-hipsters-in-the-gypsy-tag/18929758502

Our first time was in the backseat of his Maybach sixty-two in a frozen parking lot during the last week of Christmas and the first of the new years. Not very romantic, I know (also not very comfortable. If you've seen the inside of one of those cars rich people buy you'll know its NOT desgined for sex, despite popular belief), but what can you do when you're drunk on however swigs from the bottle of champagne (and maybe whiskey snucked in) you stole from a company party your best friend hosted and dragged you into? Would you rather we'd done it outside? (Do you realize how cold it is in fucking  _January_?)

(Plus the arguments used to get me to the party in the _first_ place were, "Eren, you need to leave your room at least once a day-or once a week, and _no,_ visiting Marco does _not_ count, don't start with me- or else someday you're gonna walk out of this room and no one's going to recognize you and we'll start charging you rent, even in your own house.") But despite how very much drunk I was, I can still remember what he felt like.

Reality hit too soon for us. Obligations and other things like that made us hurry through all the good stuff. But the silk of his touch, and the heat of his gaze, are like patterns impressed upon my mind, dark as their physical marks. As we had moved together I watched the quiet snow fall outside.  I remember thinking that there wasn't a thing in this world that could understand the pain in his eyes. The intensity almost distracted me from our combined ecstasy. 

It wasn't until I walked back into my house dazed and totally, completely satisfied that I realized I never asked if he had a condom. But considering how carefully he had treated me the entire night, I'm sure it was fine. So I fell exhausted into my big bed still somewhat dressed and went out like a light, having no idea what my future held in the morning.

 

///Pillow Talk/// 

 

I woke up a few days later in the middle of the night with my ass bleeding like a river of Satan all over my sheets and feeling like someone was grabbing my stomach in a fist and squeezing. I quickly ran to the bathroom and puked whatever the hell I ate that night all over my toilet. I assumed it was food poisoning, so I grabbed a few pills and some water and downed it all in one big gulp. No biggie. I went to sleep again and woke up in the morning feeling like everything was just right in the world.

If there was some weird line of white stuff in my underwear by the end of the week, I just chalked it off to late night wet dreams.

But what really was the big hint was three weeks later when I was playing a video game over at Marco's house and his boyfriend Jean was there. Apparently he didn't like the fact that I could whoop his ass so easily in the racing game. I had already felt the tingly sensations around my nipples, but I had assumed it was just because of the cold weather. Anyways, Jean tackled me immediately after I slid easily into first place and won, and his hands accidently hit my chest.

" _Fucking_ hell," I c ried out. Goddammit, it fucking felt like someone was raking stones over my body. I quickly tried to get the giant horseface off of me but he snickered and said, "What? Sensitive breasts?" I growled at that and proceeded to try to aim for a place where the sun don't shine.

Needless to say, Marco had to break us up and checked me over, much to the dismay of his lover boy. I smirked at Jean from across the room and played the victim in front of Marco. "Marco~~" I whined, wrapping my arms around his legs and pressing my cheek to his stomach. "Jean hit me~." I could feel Marco's soft look and the glare he sent his boyfriend as he ran his fingers through my hair.

"Come _on_ ," Jean groaned. "He's obviously faking it. Why are you checking up on him anyway? I was hurt far more than he was." Sensing Marco's conflicted feelings of helping his boyfriend or his best bud, I counter attacked by looking up at Marco and giving him puppy eyes.

"He made my nipples bleed," I threw in a whimper for good measure. 

No matter how embarrassing that sounded later, right then I knew I triggered the inner pediatrician of Marco. And it was worth seeing Horseface choke on his spit.  Sending one last pained look at Jean to stop any of his comments, Marco asked me to lift up my shirt. To my surprise and Marco's concern, my nipples actually  _were_ bleeding. Not a river of Satan, though. They were really swollen, too--a bright cherry red with a few spots of blood. Marco immediately began to fawn over me, and over his shoulder I snickered at Jean, who glared at me.

But I regretted my decision as soon as five hours later he finally let me out of his house after promising I'd see a doctor or something. I took the popsicle stick he offered me and kissed him on the cheek in parting (and to piss horseface off) before snatching my bag. But I wasn't going to see a doctor; oh, no. I had a feeling about who might have done this to me.

Thirty minutes later I was knocking on my sib from a different crib's apartment door. "Okay, Armin," I said once the door creaks open. I placed my hands on my hips. "What did you do this time?"

 

///Pillow Talk///

 

"So let me get this straight," I hold my hands to stop him. "You were in you spell book, _again,_ even after Mikasa and I strictly told you not to, so you could look up a curse for your boss?"

Armin shuffles his feet nervously, his hands thrust in between his legs. "Well, I wasn't really  _trying_  to work up a curse, _so to speak_ ," He omits. "Just a simple spell to give him a bad day, nothing _too_ extreme." He fiddles with his fingers in his lap, nervously glancing over at me. 

I make a face at him. "Well, that certainly went well, didn't it."

Armin squeaks softly and ducks his head shamefully.

I cross my arms."Did it at least work?" I inquire. Stomach pains? I wonder. But why were my nipples bleeding? Plus, my ass was bleeding like no tomorrow that one time. Maybe an extreme form of food poisoning? No telling with Armin's crazy magic. 

He mumbles, "Y-you're...kind of...the result..." 

Sigh. Why does it always happen to me? I throw my gaze to the ceiling. 

"No shit,"  I jump to my feet. Armin throws his hands up in a defensive 'x' to shield himself as I loom over him. He continues,  "W-well, you see, I was trying to give him stomach problems, but I might've messed up the spell and changed it to parturiency..."

"What the hell are you saying, Armin?" I slam my hands on the coffee table in between of us. He jumps. "I'm saying...you...you're..." He bits his lip. 

"Pregnant..."

Five seconds. Five  _fucking_ seconds to artfully and terrifyingly easily design how I'm going to kill Armin. "What are you saying, Armin," I growl. Honestly, he should be proud of the control I exercise. 

Armin gulps as if he knows it. "Er," he starts to scoot further from me on the couch, eyes darting for as quick escape route. Except that plan is foiled as I slam my hands down again and leaan closer, trapping him. " I could just kill you right now," I murmur darkly. 

"That  _would_ place a damper on our relationship," Armin says seriously.

"I'm assuming there's a way to fix this, right?" I say unamused. When Armin doesn't respond, my heart seizes. "Armin?"

He's quiet. "I-I'm sorry, Eren..." His eyes are blue orbs of regret. 

"I'm sorry, too," I say, voice still dark. "Shall we do this as God intended?" The few seconds where Armin blinks up at me in confusion are priceless. 

"What-" Armin says as he scoots away from me. But I grab him and pull him forward to wiggle my fingers up and down his sides in a humoring manner. He giggles and laughs immediately and I smile. "Wait Eren! Nooooo-" But his words are gobbled up in the shrieks of laughter I tease out of his sides. "Fool! To think that I, the great conqueror, would be so easily vanquished!" I say, tickling him again. 

He giggles again and kicks me off him. It feels like a paper decided to hit me in the face, but I comply and move away. He sits up again on the couch while I sink to the floor. I sigh loudly; Armin watches me from the corner of my eye. "You seem to take the news of this pregnancy thing well." I turn to glare at him. "You haven't even questioned me once."

"The thing about you, Armin," I say. "Is that, when it comes to your spell book, you're _always_ right."

"I wouldn't say that," Armin rebukes. "Remember that one time we tried to get that one guy to get a crush on you?" I face palm. "Yes. And It backfired. Badly."

"If Mikasa sewing-"

"Noooo!" I cry, covering my face, " Stop it! We agreed not to speak of it!"

"- A body length pillow of you out of devotion and us walking in on her licking it with her freakishly long tongue is what you define as 'backfire,' I've hate to see what else you've got up your sleeve." I look up at his smirk when he finishes. 

"Shut up, Armin."

He does. For a moment. "It was an accident, I hope you know."

I glare at him again when he throw his hands up in surrender.  "How was I suppose to know you'd sleep with...whoever you slept with."

"That nice, Armin, but your little 'accident' got me three weeks pregnant with his child." I point a finger at him.  "This. This is why we can't have nice things, Armin."

He ignores my last comment. "That reminds me...are you going to tell him?" I tilt my head. "The..." He trails off, unsure. 

"The guy who knocked me up?" I finish. "Hell no. I'd probably be doing him a favor by not telling him."

"Well, that's if you somehow prove that you are pregnant with his child." I scowl. "Right."

He's silent for a few more moments. Then, "Who's going to tell Mikasa?"

 

///Pillow Talk///

 

"The fucking shit I do for you, Armin," I mutter as I read the address scribbled on the back of a " _Please consider me as an alternative to suicide_ " hotline. "The fucking shit I do."

" _Just be happy that **I'm** the one who has to tell Mikasa,"  _ Armin tells me over the phone. " _She's **so** not going to be happy." _

"Your fault. You got me pregnant."

_ "Ahem. Excuse me. My penis had nothing to do with your anus, thank you very much." _

"Is this your way of saying you're not my sugar daddy?"

" _...I suppose."_

I look up at the very tall, very imposing building from across the street. "How'd you find his address anyway?"

" _Not telling."_

I grin at that. "What? Had to sell a few souls to Lucifer?"

" _If this is your way of saying the father of the child was very good in the bedroom, please stop."_

"Mmm..." I hum, licking my lips. "He was though."

_ "I do not need to know the specifics, thank you." _

"What's this?" I pretend to be shocked. "The Godfather doesn't want to know the story of his godchild? How will you tell them about me?"

" _..."_

"Armin?"

_ "I have been suddenly told I was a Godfather. I don't know how to receive this information." _

"You sound like a robot." I bit my lip, nervous.He only turns that way once he's really shocked. "You don't...have to be one." I didn't mean to tell him that. God, I don't even know if I want to have the child. 

" _No, no. You mistook my reaction. I am...ecstatic that you've chosen me as the Godfather."_

"You're welcome. Jokes on you though. Mikasa's the Godmother." I guess we'll just have to see after I get the reaction from the baby's father. 

Armin and I stayed up late that after night he told me about my...predicament. We talked about everything; if I should have the baby, if I shouldn't, how Mikasa would react if I did. How'd she kill us when we told her. Somehow in the conversation Armin convinced me to see the father of my- no, _the_ baby. I stop my thoughts right there. 

If I thought of it as mine, I wouldn't be open to any other options than to keep it. But Armin make the point that I wasn't ready for a child, or anything of the sort. He had  offered the idea of adoption, but I shot it down. I didn't want the child- any child- to grow up like we did; not knowing who are parents were, or _where_ they were. Just that we were unwanted.

I tug my jet black long coat closer over my body, and in my ear I can hear a faint knock. 

_ "I believe that's Satan, come to feed on my soul." _

"Nah, bud. She's worse."

" _I have to agree with you on that."_

"Good luck," I sing before hanging up. My hand slips and find my coat pocket, bumping into my stomach as it does. I gasp and jolt a little, shivers running down my spine. I shake it off and head across the street towards the large building. 

 

///Pillow Talk///

 

"Um,"

Shit, I can't even make it past the receptionist. 

"I'm here to see..." I glance down at the card. "A guy named Levi?" The elderly woman with her weird librarian glasses blinks at me. "Levi?" She repeats. I nod. She looks thoroughly shocked at my words, giving me a once over.  "For what purpose?" She asks suspiously. 

"Its...kind of private," I say, scratching the back of my head. "But its urgent."

"Your relations with Levi?"

"I'm his... cousin." If I was half my height and pale as snow, right. Cousin, ha-- I should've stuck with "fuckboy" or something. Anyone would believe that, I think sourly. Did Levi even have cousins? Family?

"I see," the receptionist says, face plainly saying she didn't believe me for a minute. "Please... Just a moment." She turns to the phone then and switches to talk in German. "Ich brauche den Sicherheitsdienst. Hier ist ein Junge der Levi sehen will. Ich glaube er ist ein Reporter." 

Well, thank god for the foreign languages Mikasa drilled into my brain. I'm out. "You know what?" The receptionist looks at me, phone still pressed to her ear. "I think I'll just come back at a later time. After lunch, maybe?" I walk backwards, smiling at the elderly lady. She tries to stop me, but I dart out of there too quickly.

From the saftey of right-across-the-street, I sigh and sit down on a nearby ledge. That went well. Of all people, why the hell did the one guy who knocked me up have to be some fancy ass rich dip-shit in some kind of international business stuff? Seriously, what the fuck?

"Well, I can't say why this man is the one who 'knocked you up,' but I can say that you are in quite a predicament, young man." I jump at the voice beside me and finally notice the tall blonde haired blue eyed _freak_ beside me. Oh my god, who even has those muscles?

"Oh shit, I'm sorry, was I thinking out loud?" I apologize before something worse slips out, scratching the back of my head. "Haha, don't mind me, I must be going crazy. Guys can't get knocked up." Yep, that was it. There goes my sanity.  I laugh nervously. 

 "Oh, I don't mind at all," The man waves me off. "I find the crazy ones are often the most honest." Hm. Compliment or insult? That is the question. "But what's this about getting knocked up and pregnancy?" I sigh and rest my chin on my hand again. "You wouldn't believe me, man." Blonde-Freak looks taken aback by my statement.

"On the contrary, my young friend." I blink at the sudden warmth in Blonde-Freak's voice. "I think I would." Squinting my eyes and looking at him sideways, I wait a moment before I begin. 

"Well, the thing is... I slept with this guy a few weeks ago," I say slowly. "And it was all well and good. But it turns out my friend was using spells that night and accidently did something that made me able to get pregnant. So shit hit the fan, and here I am," I gesture at myself and the area around me. "Thought I should at least have the decency to tell the guy who put it in me." Well, its more of Armin's idea, but let's not stray from the topic.

The man's blue gaze is calculating. "I take it this means you are...how do the American's say...have buns in the oven?"

Oh my god.

Did he just-

Did he really just-

Oh my god.

"No, no. Well, if you mean, am I pregnant? Yes. Promise you won't kidnap me for science or something?"" I laugh nervously now. The Blonde-Freak looks dumbstruck. "See? Hard to believe, right?" I sigh again and look away. The front of the building looks pretty; a large fountain and a park-like area were people sit and lounge in, eating their lunches. Much be break time, I think, since so many people were exiting the building.

"My friend," I look back at the Blonde-Freak, who looks as if I told him the world ward going to end soon. "Since you have entrusted me with your tale, I shall tell one of my own."  Oh god, is he pulling the old guy act? "You see, My grandmother was a gypsy, and she believed I inherited the ability to tell when people were lying. The only catch was that I needed to touch them." 

I smile and nod, but inside I make a disgusted face. Please, please don't be a weird perv. It was going so well. "Well, do you?" I ask anyway.

"I can't say for certain," Blonde-Freak says. "However, I have never entered the wrong business deal, if you know what I mean."

No, but okay.

"So I would like to ask you to hold out your hand." I comply without question, offering the hand I wasn't resting on. I throw in a huge sigh to make it seem like a hassle, but really i'm curious. He places his around it in a form of a handshake, and his eyes widen before almost closing, and his lips form a cats grin. "Ah, Eren, I believe I know how to help you."

What the-

"Please don't be frightened. I only read your name from your dog tag." I look down at my  medical dog tag. Sure enough, my engraved name is sticking out. "But I take it that its not your first case with gypsy magic," he says. I shake my head. "No. My friend's gypsy too, on his fathers' side." Blonde-Freak, suddenly looking far older,  looks deep into my eyes. Low toned, he says, "I wasn't taking about him."

 I blink.

"However, that is a story for another time." The man rises. "My name is Erwin Smith, Mr. Eren. I believe I know of the Levi you seek." Erwin offers me a hand that I take and pulls me up right. From here, I can really tell how tall he is. Fuck, he's like a titan or something.  "I look forward to the future you two have together." He takes my hand, which I just realize he was still holding, and kisses it.

 

///Pillow Talk///

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have a list of things to say. Here we go:
> 
> 1) Thank you to all who've already read this. Thanks for being so open minded and so supportive in your comments. You made me squeal and smile and cry like a bitch last night. Thank you.
> 
> 2) Thank you, Wodolay(pomodoro0 for correcting the German. I'll never ever trust google translate ever again. Really cool that you're a native German speaker!
> 
> 3) There is no beta reader for this, so I apologize for the misspells or absolute, complete madness
> 
> 4) I just want to thank you guys so much!
> 
> 5) Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.


	2. The Man from Nowhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to point out that the gypsy community- sorry, the Romani- and their magic does not include spells for pregnancy. Well, they probably do, but not to this extent most likely.
> 
> *Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.

"Mr. Ackerman, sir," Levi keeps his gaze outside the window as his secretary Petra hands him a folder. "The company needs you to sign this." He makes no sound of acknowledgement. "Mr. Ackerman?" He blinks then, and with one last look, turns to look at  her. "Hm?" He hums in question.

"Is something wrong, sir?" She asks. "You've been staring out the window ever since you arrive this morning. May I be of any help?" He chuckles to her offer. His hands reach to open the file in front of him, looking it over as he spoke. "If somehow convincing the two elderly people in my lives that were raised in the mid-20th century that I don't need them to find a fiancé for me- which I could find _perfectly_ on my own _-_ is in your job describtion, I'd give you a massive raise." Petra grins at that. "How about 2 weeks vacation?" She jokes, but knows better. Levi finishes reading the document and signs it before handing it back to her. "Oh, by the way, the chairman called. He said there was someone you needed to see."

Levi nods and dismisses her. "Send them in, when they get here." Petra bows and exits, leaving Levi alone again with his thoughts. He rests his elbows on the desk and covers his face.

His grandparents had called him early that morning to give him an earful of carrying on the family linage. "Why aren't you married yet? Isn't there someone? What happened to that lovely girl- Sandra, I think her name was?" His grandmother had jabbered to him over the phone. She was like the first line of attack; quick, sharp, unforgiving, and blunt. "Grandmama, you said you hated her," He sighed. His hand comes up- even now-to rub the wrinkles from between his brows. "I never said that," His grandmother retreats briefly.

Then the Calvary comes in. "Abigail, I believe you said-" His grandfather tries to intervene from the background. "I know what I said, Elliot," his wife snaps. Then she speaks to her grandson again, this time much more patient and less demanding. "Love, we only want the best for you. That's why we're allowing you this time to find out whose the one for you. Be it man or woman-"

"Grandma _ma_ ," Levi groans. "Ah, ah, don't sass me, boy. Else I _will_ take the earliest flight down there to whoop you from here to kingdom come." He mutters something about her old age not letting her under his breath. "Don't think I didn't hear you." His grandmother warns. "But you're getting me off topic. Seriously, Levi..." her tone goes soft. Desperate. "Isn't there anyone? Anyone at all?"

He looks over at glass wall separating him and his secretary. She looks up and smiles at someone talking to her. Levi watches the redness of her cheeks as she laughs. He remembers looking over at the picture the two of them had taken long ago while taking his time to answer. "...No. There's no one." His grandmother had sighed then, defeated. _You and me both, Grandmama._ He sighs even now. Shaking his head, he looks out the window again.

Its when he's finally looking  at his documents that he gets the call from Petra. "He's here, Sir." Who was she talking about- Ah. 

"Send him in." He commands, and no more than three seconds later his office doors open to reveal a tall male beauty with bright emerald eyes and brown hair. He wears a sharp looking dark long coat and deep blue pants. He's wearing sneakers, though, despite the cold weather. "Come in," Levi tries the polite approach, because a) he doesn't recognize this man, and b) the chairman sent him in, so he must be important. The tall male shifts his feet nervously before stepping forward towards his desk. "Sit." Levi points at the chair opposite of him and the stranger complies. He looks more frightened than relaxed, though- back erect, eyes darting around the room, fingers gripping into the leather armrest. Is this his first time inside a room like this? Or had he heard rumors of Levi's patience? "What may I do for you, Mr...?"

He trails off, allowing the male to introduce himself. "Yeager. Eren Yeager." Mr. Yeager's answer comes out choked. Levi tilts his head the tiniest bit. "Mr. Yeager. I believe you already know who I am from my boss, but I'll introduce myself anyways. I'm Levi Ackerman," he offers the man across from him a hand. Mr. Yeager only looks at it then back up at him. Hesitantly, he takes Levi's hand and clasps it lightly. Faintly, Levi can hear Mr. Yeager mutter something, but its too low for him to catch. "What was that?" he hisses inwardly at himself for the blunt question, especially when Mr. Yeager gives him this somewhat frightened look. "Sorry," Levi murmurs.

"Its nothing," Mr. Yeager says, though if it was about what he said or what Levi had said, he was unsure. There's an awkward silence that follows; Levi looks at Mr. Yeager expectantly and the man himself not looking him in the eye. Levi begins to seriously question what was going on. "Mr. Yeager?" said man jolts in his seat, and Levi frowns slightly in concern. "You apparently have something I need to hear?"

"Well, I wouldn't say _need,_ but-"

"Mr. Yeager."

"Yes?" He squeaked.

"Please get to the point."

"Right. So," Mr. Yeager gulps audibly. "Can you recall what you did three weeks ago?" Levi leans back at the question, confused. "What does that have to do with-"

"Please." Mr. Yeager sends him a look that borderlines on pleading. A shiver runs down his spine. "Just go with it. Please." Levi reads the honesty in the green gaze for a few moments before nodding once. He thinks back. "I remember I was at a party."

 

\\\\\Pillow Talk\\\\\

 

"Well, hello there," a voice behind him flirted. Levi turned from the balcony view to see a tall man in a very complementing dark suit. He held a champagne bottle daintily in his right hand and wore a devilish smirk on his face, and his eyes glowed brightly in the shadow of the low-lit ballroom. "What's a sexy thing like you doing hanging around all these boring old farts?" He stepped close and lowered his voice to murmur in Levi's ear. He shivered, but masked it with a disinterested gaze.

"Probably because I'm one of those old farts," he muttered sourly, taking a sip of his champagne. Tall dark and dangerous beside him made a face. "Ew. You wear diapers?" Levi choked on his drink, much to the amusement of the male beside him. "You should've seen your face," he chuckled. Levi glared.

"Sorry. Got off on the wrong foot. My name's Eren," he offered his hand  to Levi. "And you, Sexy?" The endearment, on a regular day, wouldn't make his cheeks flush or his stomach flutter. But since he drank two glasses of champagne and a few swigs of whiskey before he got here...He shrugged. "Levi." Not a lie. Though Eren didn't feel like an common name, Levi got the feeling he wasn't lying about his name. He didn't offer anything else, though, so Levi didn't either. "How's the night going for you?" Eren asks politely. He moves again to rest against the railing, and Levi realizes through the loss of warmth how hot Eren felt. He hides his slight blush with his glass. "Fine."

He sips from his glass again, and from the corner of his eye, He sees Eren watch him. His eyes were so bright before, but now they looked like stars, shining against the darkness like the fabled tiger eyes the William Blake wrote of.

 _"Tiger_ , _Tiger, burning bright. I_ _n the forests of the night..._

 

\\\\\Pillow Talk\\\\\

 

" _'In what distant deeps or skies, burnt the fire of thine eyes?'_ " Mr. Yeager says, bringing Levi from his story. "Have to give you props for that pick up line. Girls would dig it."  He grins smartly across the desk.

"Excuse me?" Levi questions, really, really, _really_ confused now. Mr. Yeager's jaw drops. "What? You're telling me- Okay, I'll give you a hint. " A hint? For what? Why did he need to guess-

"My name's Eren," Mr. Yeager states yet again, but this time his eyes are half-lidded with a twinkle of hunger behind them. He offers his hand. "And you, Sexy?" Levi's eyes open wide in realization while Mr. Yeager's- Eren's eyes fall back into a playful look. Almost like that night. Eren grins, "Remember me now?"

Levi growls. "I thought we agreed that it was a one time thing." Eren scoffs and cross his arms. "No, _you_ decided that on your own. Without telling me anything." HIs green eyes flash challengingly.

"Isn't that how it goes? A unspoken agreement after sex for it to never happen again?"

"What movies have you been watching?" Eren makes a face.

"None," Levi snarls. "I just assumed."

"Well, you 'assumed' wrong then."

"Apparently," Levi grits his teeth as his patience wears to a _very_ thin line. "I did."

Eren seems to sense an upcoming battle and backtracks. "Look. I'm sorry, we got off on the wrong foot. I-"

Levi interrupts. "Do you want money? Is that why you're here?" But if the chairman sent Eren in, that's probably not why. "Did Erwin put you up to this?" his gaze rakes up and down Eren's body shamefully, and from the way Eren shifts, he can tell the man doesn't like it. "What? No!" Eren gets defensive. And for some reason, that gets on Levi's nerves. "Erwin didn't put me up to anything-"

"How much did he pay you-" Levi reaches for his check book on his desk and a pen. "He didn't pay me anything, you bastard-" Levi ignores him and begins to write out a large check. "Who should I-"

"I'm pregnant!" Eren shouts suddenly. "I'm _fucking_ pregnant and you're the _fucking_ father, you _prick_!"

Levi stills. The pen in his hand falls, and he looks at Eren with the most angriest look he can muster. Eren matches the gaze with an angry look of his own. And because his body is fucked up, Levi thinks back to that night three weeks ago, when Eren looked up at him with hungry eyes and rake his nails across Levi's back as he writhed underneath him. When he moaned and whined and begged and pleaded for more, the tears in his eyes; and afterward,  the completely satisfied look that challenged the look of a cat getting its milk, the one that Levi kissed and nibbled and savored. God... 

His eyes take in Eren's slightly huffing chest and flared nostrils, and to his dismay he feels heat start to pool around his groin. "Get out."

That startles him, and from the look on Eren's face, startles him, too. "What?" the surprised tone further proves his guess. "I said get out. You're a few years too early to be playing pranks on me."

"I'm not-"

"Get. Out!" Levi's the one shouting now. Few can actually get that response from him, and he's surprised that a complete stranger is the one to do it. "Don't ever come back here, ever again." The room is filled with an angry silence. Then Eren sighs. "Look, I don't want any money, alright? I- I just thought...you'd like to know." He rises. Levi keeps his gaze on the spot where Eren sat.

Eren walks to the door and pauses before he opens it. Looking back once, he says, "Bye, Levi." And he leaves.

Levi finally moves, but not to look a the door. He covers his face with his hands and rubs his temples, feeling as though he's been freed from a migraine. He counts to three slowly before releasing a huge breath and opening his eyes. And to his immediate dismay (because his friend and general manager Hanji designed the room and thought clear glass walls were the next thing) he can clearly see Eren wave good bye to Petra and head towards the public elevator on the other side of the building from Levi's office. He can see Eren push the button, see him wait patiently for the door. And to his (and Eren's) surprise, he witnesses _Erwin_ of all people snatch Eren's elbow before he can board and strike up a conversation.

Levi doesn't know why his skin prickles. Doesn't know why his teeth grit and his hands fist. But he does know he does _not_ like how easily Eren is talking with Erwin, does not like how easily Erwin wraps his arms around the other in a "friendly" hug. He glared at Erwin's arms, wanting to snap them like a twig. And he feels like his heart broke at the expression on Eren's face- the trust he's already placed in Erwin is astonishing and suspicious. And Levi did not like it one bit.

Not that it mattered. No. It shouldn't matter- it _didn't_ matter. It wasn't his business who Erwin or Eren slept with- be it with someone else or with each other. He had nothing to do with that.

Still, He glared a the two when Erwin passed his phone to Eren and he took it. He glared at them as Eren pressed something on the phone and placed the cell phone to his ear. He hissed when he's own phone rang and picked it up. "What," he snarled.

" _Erwin wants us to talk this out like civilized beings,_ " He'll admit he was surprised when it was Eren's voice on the other end. " _I told him there's no way you could be civilized. He laughed._ "

 Levi kept his gaze on the Eren. "An appropriate reaction." _Remind me later to kill Erwin._

" _Look,"_ Levi focused on Eren's calm tone. " _I know its a stretch, but believe me when I say I'm pregnant with your child."_ Levi catches the way Eren bites his lip as he waits for Levi to respond. "Pass the phone." He instructs, and watches as an irritating exchange goes on between the two. The  Erwin grabs the phone, "hell-"

" _ **Did you test him?** " _Levi switches to the romani dialect that Erwin himself taught him. 

Erwin takes a moment to respond. " _ **Yes**."_  

"And?"

Erwin takes an even longer time to answer. Levi can tell he's calculating the outcomes of telling Levi the truth. "Erwin?"

Levi's heart is beating erratically in his chest as he waits. His skin feels so hot, his chest feels tight, and he's hanging on to every last word as Erwin finally speaks.

" _He-"_

 

\\\\\Pillow Talk\\\\\

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.


	3. Father of the Alien (In My Stomach)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took so long to get this one out, and to actually add an authors note. School likes to throw shit into my face for me to deal with, and I have absolutely no time to deal with everything. And I'm lazy. So lazy. So I apologize so much, my dear readers.
> 
> *Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.

"Eren?" I turned at the sound of my name to look at Erwin as we headed to my apartment complex. He had been quiet the whole cheap ride there (seriously guys I'm not kidding. He was even quiet when a new pop song came on and everyone on the train started singing it); saying no more than a short answer to my occasional questions. Maybe it was his first time being amongst the middle class and he was shocked silent. Or he's not generally a talker. Who knows? "You said your friend had used a spell on you to make you..." he gestured at my body as to finish his question.

I nod as Erwin moved to hold the door open for me, narrowly avoiding a speedy pedestrian on their way to work, most likely. See, my apartment is located "near" the bustling city, as my realtor told me when I first bought it. But she lied; it was located right smack dab in the heart of the city, with crazy erratic drivers obsessed with the next great discount at a rich people store so that their daughters can be popular at school or their son is motivated to get the grades they want. And at certain times of the day I don't go outside (well actually I don't go outside _at all_ ) because its lunch hour or the end or beginning of a work day. Shit hits the fan- and the front of a car- at those times during the day.

For now, though, the streets are closed because of the repairs some annoying old man who has issues with young people complained to the city. Have to thank him, though- _now_ there's a bunch of traffic on the sidewalk. "How?" My mind jumps quickly back to what Erwin was asking. Ah, the million dollar question. Erwin deserved a cookie. I wipe my feet on the carpet in front of the door before stepping inside. "My friend inherited a book when his grandfather passed away. He had always known about his gypsy roots, but that book was the first-and only- encounter he ever had with it." I can remember almost clearly the night Armin showed me his book; the way his blue eyes shot open in wide wonder, his hard breathing in excitement and anticipation, the eager touch of his fingers, the way his ass jolted- wait, no, that was when I first lost my virginity. Shit. Wrong memory.

Erwin tilted his head. "What's in the book?" It takes me a moment to bring myself back (yet again) to the conversation (stupid realtors and boys). "It's not a book." I press the button on the elevator and groan escapes my lips that matches the similar noises coming from above. Erwin looks up. "What's that?"

"The sound of God hating me," I answer in a groan. Sourly, I turn for the stairs. Erwin follows after me doggedly. "See, its actually a bible."

"Bible?" I hear Erwin pause at the foot of the stairs and continue until I reach the top. I turn to look down at him like in the movies, my tone somber. My eyes take in the face of a man who's mind has just been blown. "The book is actually the entire history of Armin's family written down within the passages of a catholic bible." I scratch the back of my head. "Its even printed in Latin, while the gypsy stuff is written in ink."

"Romani dialect." A cool voice cuts in."Huh?" I furrow my eyes slightly at what Erwin says. "The writing," He explains, admiration in his soft tone. "Its Romani dialect." I nod. "Gypsy words. Anyways, my friend says the book's enchanted so that it'll never tear and the writing will never fade away. And because Armin's ancestors had asses tighter than a priest, the spells are actually written in code." I think back. "It took Armin three months to actually figure out the first part of a spell, 'cause he's not fluent in Romani." Erwin looks impressed. I smile. "You'll probably get to meet him up in my apartment." I turn at that and continue up the stairs, Erwin following  three steps after me.  

That may have been the interesting part of Erwin's night, but mine had just begun. It started when we finally made it to my floor and were standing just outside my apartment. While I sifted through my pockets, Erwin made this...face, as he stood beside me.

"What is this...ominous presence?" He says as I curse and bitch about not finding my keys. His posture suggests his wariness and discomfort. "It feels as though I'm walking into the lion's den, only...how do the American's say...ten times worse." I look at him in confusion before he makes that comment. "Well, I was thinking I left my keys at Armin's anyway." I mutter under my breath.

"What?"

"Nothing," I sing. "I was just-" I hear footsteps on the other side of the door and panic. Shit. I turn and place my hands on Erwin's shoulders to push him out of the direct view of  his impending doom- hey, a rhyme. But whether it was his mistake for not going with it or mine for not explaining how I was saving his life is a current toss up, because he latches his hands on my elbows to steady himself since maybe I pushed him a little too hard too suddenly. And by pure accident, our chests brush as we are pushed up together and I gasp.

But before I can push him away from being to close to the fire, the door creaks open. I'm frozen in place as a small ray of darkness seeps out from inside my apartment. "Are you the man who violated my friends' ass and implanted an alien into his stomach?" Mikasa murmurs darkly in her "I'm Satan, and I'm so ready to send you to hell" voice. Erwin's face contorts to one of horror, and a sweat drop slips from the top of my head. We pull apart- well, I step away while Erwin jumps across the hall to the other wall and presses his back to it. "No! No. No, Mikasa," I turn to look at the small crack in the door. "He's just a...friend."

"Your slow reply suggests otherwise," She comments. I laugh nervously. "Well, I did just meet him today, and he did help me see the father."

"Father?"

"Of the alien." I say. " In my stomach."

She hums. "Then why is he here?"

I...I didn't know the answer to that one. Why was he here, other than to ruin  Mikasa's trust in me?

"He helped me see the father." I say, shrugging my shoulders. she squints her eyes at me before closing the door to unlock it.

 

///Pillow talk///

 

Remember how I said earlier how it was a toss up as to whether it was mine or Erwin's fault earlier?

It was Erwin's. All. Erwin's. Fault.

_All his fault._

Let the record show- let the lord know, Jesus- that it was all, all, _all_ Erwin's fault.

Because when I stepped into the apartment with Erwin keeping close to me as if I was a repellent for Mikasa, I did not _deserve_ Armin looking up from behind the kitchen counter, raise his eyebrows, and say;

"Eren, you didn't tell me he was a titan. How in the world did his genitalia ever fit into your gluteus maximus?"

Oh-oh-Oh My God no amount  of alcohol could help me live this down. Nope. Nu-uh. No way. I groaned and smacked my head against the nearest wall. Maybe it hit a little too loudly for Erwin because I saw the look of concern on his face from the corner of my eye. "Armin, Armin, oh my god-"

"I don't think-" He starts, but I hold my hand up. "Armin don't even think about finishing that sentence." His mouth falls shut. I take a deep breath. "Erwin is not the father." Mikasa steps forward, questions burning on her lips. But I answer before she can get a word out. Pointing at Erwin, I say "Not the baby daddy." At myself, "Currently pregnant with said baby." I gesture at Armin, "Entirely his fault." Mikasa nods and steps back.

"I can't say that I'm offended," Armin rebuts. "Because I'm not."

I glare at him. "Shut up." Hoping to diffuse Mikasa's standoff reaction to Erwin, I turn to her and ask. "How's the roommate?" I know I asked the right question because Mikasa scrunches her nose slightly. "Annie's...fine," she says slowly. I snicker. "Your slow response suggests otherwise," I tease and she scowls. Her hand smacks me lightly on the arm. "She's just been distant lately. She calls when she can't make it to dinner, of course, but...I can count the number of times we've eaten any meal together this past week on one hand." She sighs. "Think Mikasa's finally scared her off with her personality?" Armin calls from the kitchen. I snort.

"Is she dating someone?" I inquire as Mikasa sends a glare at the small blonde. Because how the hell Annie can pull that off is _way_ more interesting than a 23 year old man getting pregnant. Mikasa shakes her head. "We have a roommate agreement, so she can't date someone without letting me meet them first." Riiiiiight, roommate agreement. Like some document could keep me from getting into someone's pants- _OW_. "Mikasa!" I shout, rubbing the back of my head where she slapped me. "What the hell?"

"You may not have respect for documents and ledgers," Mikasa warns. "But other people do."

I think one day she's gonna break my brain if I keep this up. "Alright! All Hail Mikasa and her roommate agreement. Glory, glory, blah blah." I hiss. Mikasa looks on unfazed as I walk around her to sit on my couch. Erwin moves after me and sits a good three foot distance after a cold glare from Mikasa is sent his way. Armin brings drinks for the four of us and sits on the floor by my feet. Before Erwin can even politely refuse his drink, Mikasa begins his inquiry of him. I sigh. Armin looks up at me. "So what happened?" he asked. "How'd he take it?" He blinks up at me. "How'd who take what?" I ask, taking a sip of my wa- _hello,_ that's _definitely_ not water.

I send a look at Armin, who shrugs. "I had a feeling its gonna be a rough night." Oh, thank god for someone like Armin and the fact he was my friend. Thank you, thank you, _thank_ _you._ I sip my drink again more eagerly. "You still haven't answer my question." I blink at Armin. "Babe, you're gonna have to be more specific than that."

"How did the baby daddy take it?"

"Oh my god, Armin." I groan and smack my face with my hand. "Please don't say something like that ever again." Armin doesn't even shrug. "Answer the question." I sigh. Then I repeat my entire event filled day, from the beginning.

 

///Pillow Talk///

 

Erwin started to speak in some weird dialect that I couldn't place once the phone touched his ear. I politely looked away so that he could talk normally- although, I don't know how you can talk to the guy who's spawn was now inside of my stomach normally. But Erwin seems to be calm, so, I guess you can. My eyes trace the interior of the business building, taking in the glass wall offices and cubicles. Erwin continues his conversation when my eye catches a small girl holding a balloon as she waited for her mother to get off the phone. Memories come to mind as I stare at the girl intently. A red balloon ties to my wrist, the broken window, a woman's voice speaking hurriedly in whispers over the phone-

"-Eren?" My head jerks to meet Erwin's worried blue gaze and I grin devilishly. "What? I totally wasn't checking out that hot piece of work while you were on the phone." I rake my eyes up and down Erwin's body. "Not when I've got you." I flirt.

Erwin's eyes seem to turn really bright. "Although pleased as I am that you find me attractive, I have to say I don't see you in the same light." I shrug, tilting my head over to the side. "Didn't hurt to try," I say. "So what's the gossip, Lumberjack?"

"Huh?"

"Sasquatch." From the look on Erwin's face, I try again. Although I don't know why. "Stretch? Twin tower?" No light turns on upstairs in Erwin's eyes, so I sigh irritably.

"Never mind."

The elevator doors ding, and I step back to board it. Erwin grabs me arm again but lets it go to follow after me. And I realize the convince of being the tallest person here; no one else can board after Erwin, and the people already in are squished against the walls of the elevator. I grimace. "Hey, Erwin? If you'd please take a step back, you'd save us all form death by squishing, thanks." People murmur in confirmation of my claim and Erwin moves back just as the doors close. we all release a big sigh in rejoice of being able to breath again. I look up at Erwin. "Back to my question. What'd he say?"

"I don't think this is hardly the place-"

"Erwin." I cut him off. "We're all grown ups. Just tell me." Erwin just shakes his head.

"Don't make me go to drastic measures."

"Drastic...measures?" Erwin looks like a puppy when you hid a toy behind your back. Confused. Dazed. Thinking you've performed magic.

I grin. "Like this," I say, moving to press the emergency stop button.

 

///Pillow Talk///

 

 I sip my drink again. "Needless to say, we stayed in the elevator for an hour, and he still wouldn't tell me." Armin shakes his head, defeated. "What?"

"Nothing its just..." He shakes his head again as if that could sum up his words. "So he blew his top off?" I nod and take another sip. "But hey, at least he got the news."

"Three positives for every negative," Armin chirped. I lower my drink so I can speak. "Or a solution to every negative. I really don't see what the point is in finding a positive when you can just find a solution."

Erwin's voice rumbles beside me. "Then what's your solution?" I turn to met his questioning gaze with my own. Mikasa just turns to grab some more water for her drink. She already knew the answer to my question, but Erwin didn't. "There is none." I say simply. "What?" His tone jumps an octave. "Yep." My lip bobs on the 'p' sound as I answer. "Telling Levi that his alien was in my stomach was the entire plan." Erwin looks shocked. I laugh. "Now I just need to call a doctor and schedule an appointment for an abortion."

Erwin looks appalled.

"Just kidding! Just kidding!" I laugh harder, smacking Erwin lightly on the shoulder and getting a crash course on how his muscles ripple under his arm. Damn. My grin remains on my face though as I reassure Erwin. "Armin and I already discussed it. I'm having the baby." I look down to already find my hand on my stomach, my fingers splayed over the area I'm sure the baby rested. "I've never really approved of choosing someone else's life," I say softly.

I don't catch the look on Erwin's face as I turn to Armin. "And this one here says its gonna be a girl, so-"

"What?"  The sound of a box slamming down onto my counter top makes me turn to see Mikasa holding a cereal box as she fixes her cold glare at us. "Did I just hear you right? You're gonna have it?" Her glare bores into my skull. Hesitantly, I nod. "Eren, you're not ready to make that decision! You're only-"

"23 years old?" I say, my eyebrow raising. "Girls have been having babies earlier than I have, Mikasa."

" _You're not a girl_ ," she growled. I felt Erwin shift beside me. But I only straightened my back and fixed Mikasa with a hard glare of my own. "Mikasa-"

" _I don't even want to hear it_!" Her voice was almost at the point of screaming. I get up on my feet and stomp over to here. "You're _not_ having that _thing-_!" Her voice cut off as I smacked my forehead against hers. Surprised, she took a step back and covered her head with her hands as if to ease the hurt. But her eyes were more clear this time, which was what I wanted. I breathed deep to calm down and to collect my thoughts before speaking. "First of all, Mikasa, I'm 23 years old, perfectly capable of fending for myself as well as this _child_." I put emphasis on the word child. "I have a job, steady income, live in a good neighborhood, and I have a permanent residence. I'm not going anywhere." I breathe again. "Second of all, I have the two bestest, most trusted friends in the whole world, alright? And they're gonna be the godparents. I won't be alone in raising this baby. And last of all," I add quickly. "I really don't care if you think I shouldn't have this baby. I'm having it, Mikasa, whether you like it or not. And you can leave if you don't."

Her eyes are filled with hurt, but they shine with respect for my decision. She nods. "Alright," she says softly. "Alright." my shoulder sag in relief before tensing again when she swings a finger at me. "One question." She says. I gulp from the intensity of her stare. "S-sure." I stutter.

"You do know how to have a baby though, right?"

Shit.

Mikasa grins evilly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope your happy. Thank you for your reading. *bows*
> 
> *Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.


	4. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somethings are explained. Like Eren's mother, and who Annie's partner is...and what the partner is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously this is all fucked up. Seriously guys. WTF.
> 
> I'd like to thank the creator of the {"Freezing" manga for giving me an inspiration for the Annie/OC pairing. If you guys don't mind giant boobs everywhere and blood and weird, awkward moments where a female character is touching another female characters boobs, and also do not mind former-past sibling abuse/domestic violence and slight incest, I'd suggest this manga to you, its a great read (as you can obviously tell).
> 
> *Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.

_"Mommy?"_

_"Yes, Eren?"_

Red balloon, broken window.

_"What's that?"_

_"This? Oh, its magic, sweetie."_

The phone call, a woman's voice speaking hurriedly in low tones.

_"Magic?"_

_"Mm-hmm. See? I can take off my thumb."_

_"Whoa!"_

Red balloon.

_"How'd you do that, Mommy?"_

_"I told you, Eren. Magic."_

_"Can I do that?"_

Broken window.

_"Sure! I'll teach you!"_

_"Yay!"_

_"But first- got your nose!"_

The phone call.

_"Mommy! Give it back!"_

_"Hahahaha!"_

_"Mommy!"_

A woman's voice.

_"Mommy!"_

_"Alright! Alright, Eren! Here,"_

_"...Will you still teach me magic?"_

_"Yes, love. Let me get dinner started first."_

_" 'kay."_

 

 ///Pillow talk///

 

 _A_ woman by the window, holding something that made her breath visible and made her look like a fire breathing dragon, something small and tubular. A joint.

_"Mommy...? What is that?"_

_"Go back to bed, Eren."_

_"What is that, Mommy?"_

_"Eren! Go back to bed!"_

_"But what is that-"_

_"How many times do I have to tell you, Eren-?!"_

_"Mommy-!"_

_"-Go back to bed!"_

_"Mommy you're hurting me!"_

_"..."_

_"M-Mommy...You're h-hurting me...Mommy y-you're hurting...me-e..."_

_"I-I'm sorry...Eren...its just...this is...magic, Eren. A special magic."_

_"Special...magic?"_

_"Yes. But you must never use this kind of magic, Eren. Never. Promise me."_

_"But Mommy-_

_"Never, Eren. Swear it."_

_"...I swear."_

_A sigh. "I love you so much. So much, Eren."_

_"I love Mommy, too."_

_"I know, sweetie. I know._ _Believe me, I know..."_

 

 --Pillow talk--

 

 "Who..." The female voice said. Her skin felt soft under my fingers. Just like his used to.

" _Nii-san, don't go..."_

"Nii-san..."

_"Nii-san, I can't lose you! You're my only brother..."_

 "Nii-san?" The female voice asked again.

_"Don't worry, Annie, I won't die- I have something special to protect me, you see?"_

_"Special?"_

"Mm-hmm...Nii-san..." I whispered, squeezing my arms tighter around the warm body I held.

" _It's not just the stigma I have on my back, Annie- I carry all of your hopes and dreams. I'm carry the hopes and dreams of the whole world._

_All of us Sentinel's and Guides carry the whole world's dreams on our backs- that's what protects, us, Annie, and brings us back to you..."_

 Nii-san...why did you go, then? Why did you both leave me behind then?

_"But-"_

_"And all of those hopes give me strength, Annie- don't you see? That's why I'm able to promise, I won't lose."_

 "Nii-san...don't leave me again...please don't..." I sighed into the chest with the warmest sounding heartbeat.

"Umm...Miss?" The female voice called to me, but I ignored it and closed my eyes so I could just hold on to my older brother's warmth for just a second longer. Nii-san...is it better up there, in heaven? With everyone else?

The woman I held in my arms sighed, and I felt her arms wrap around me in a certain warmth I had always associated with my brother. "Don't cry, little one, don't cry..." she murmured, and that's when I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks and onto the woman's crisp shirt, ruining it. But she didn't seem to mind. And I couldn't help but cry harder. "Nii-san..."

_I am here, Annie._

_Reiner and I-we're both here._

"Shh...whoever you Nii-san is, I'm sure he's right here..."

"He's right here..." she murmured once more before I allowed my eyelids to fall shut and encase me in warm darkness.

 

\--Pillow talk--

 

 Sentinels? Guides?

 **Sentinels:** A particular being that possesses a certain amount of stigma in their back that allows them a sensory awareness that develops beyond normal human range. They also possess a talent for unlocking a superior strength depending on the type of training they undergo. 

They came into existence a few thousand years ago in order to protect the tribe. A Sentinel, with its stigma, has all five of his senses enhanced , and although it doesn’t feel like it at first, it is a gift. A very rare and special talent that allows one to comprehend things beyond normal range once one learns to control it.

A normal being can withstand only two or three stigma, even with a Guide. Having 6 stigma gives you the title of an Elite. Having 20 or more stigma's makes you a Hero, and only one person ever recorded had that many- Bertholdt Hoover, with a total of 21 stigma's in his back.

 **Guides** : A being with a small gift of Astral Magic, one that is compatible with the Sentinel. They, once baptized, can help ground the Sentinel’s senses and also shield them from being crushed by the rapid burst of sensory input as well as from any attacks from fellow Sentinels or magical beings.

In return, the Sentinel grounds and shields the Guide from some of the side effects of drawing magic from the Astral planes. The strongest Guide ever recorded was Bertholdt Hoover's partner, Reiner Braun. His ability and strength allowed him to be able to walk in between the worlds of living and dead, and granted him an amazing ability to regenerate even in battle.

 **Baptize:** A ritual that takes place between a Sentinel and Guide, in which the two form and acknowledge their bond. With it, they are able to sense each other's thoughts and feelings, and even heal each other and take away each others pain; a useful tool in battle. Originally, such a bond was only used between Sentinels and Guides that were soul mates.

But after a tragedy that resulted in many death's of both Sentinel and Guide- the 100 years war between Britain and France- compatible Sentinels and Guides were immediately baptized. Once the wars was over, the baptizing became almost sacred again. It became a rule that both the Sentinel's and Guide's consents were needed to be given before the ritual.

The ritual itself is a special event in which only the Sentinel and Guide are present in. Then the two proceed to spend 24 hours together in seclusion, refusing to eat anything as well as touch anyone else but their partner. Research found that during this time, the bond is going through a sort of imprinting; and if one was to interfere, the partners were to die quickly.

 **History:** As previously said, the two strongest Sentinel and Guide bond was that of Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover. The two unlocked several areas of research, as well as proved to be a unstoppable force in battle. Sadly, the two perished in one of the greatest battles of all Sentinel-Guide history;  Bertholdt succeeded in fighting off a Dark being, the likes of which none have ever seen in the history of magic, and sacrificed himself.

Reiner Braun died shortly after. Sentinel and Guide bonds have three stages; first stage is before baptizing, in which the two recognize their compatibility with each other and, therefore, are feeling about their relationship with each other and seeing whether or not they can peruse a baptizing.

The second stage is the baptizing stage, in which the partners experience the emotions and thought with each other. Most stay within the boundaries of this stage; it allows the two to love and/or marry another person and yet still remain true to the bond.

The last stage-the one Reiner and Bertholdt were in-is the completion stage; in this, the bond is fully realized unlike the other two stages. The partners in this relationship are entirely dependable on each other; if one were to die, then so would the other simply for the reason that their partner was dead. For Guides, their own magic works against them and ultimately kills them while Sentinels, even if they find a suitable partner, die from the overload of the senses.

Despite the risks, many reach this stage for its benefits; because of the tightly knit bond, the two can feed off of each others magic. They form an even stronger pair than before, and are capable of performing a level of magic that even the strongest alone could not produce.

 

"Interesting..." Armin whispered. His blue gaze turned to the picture beside his old book; a picture of Bertholdt Hoover himself along with his partner Reiner Braun. They both were smiling into the camera, and in Bertholdt's arms was little Annie herself. And she was smiling as well, though she was looking at Bertholdt instead of the camera.

"So that's what you are..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah...so you see, um...I wanted to add some actual plot into the story, okay? So as to explain why Armin got his hands on the book and how he uses it. And to help with that and to help explain the magic in the world around them, I added Annie. Now, this story will still center around Eren and Levi, yes. And it will still remain light and (hopefully) funny with a trace of cuteness. But I'd just thought you'd like to know about the secret magical world around them...and please, keep in mind the events described in the last portion of this chapter were never witnessed by humankind, who remain oblivious to the brave acts of Sentinel's and Guides. They were all recorded by fellow Romani and witches and wizards alike.
> 
> *Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.


	5. The Blindside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to say that no, the song lyrics in this chapter are not my own, I have no idea where they're from, I just found them on my iPod yesterday with no recollection as to where they're from.
> 
> *Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.

"Eren, I'm pretty sure Christmas passed a few weeks ago..." Armin says. I lift a rebellious eyebrow- _that's right, a_ ** _rebellious_** _eyebrow **-** _ at him. "So?"

"Easter hasn't even passed..."

"And?"

He sighs, obviously impressed by my rebellious eyebrow and unsure as to how to defend himself. "What I'm trying to say is, why are you listening to Christmas music?"

"People do it all the time before Thanksgiving." I retort. Hah. been waiting 9 months to use that one. "And stores dress up for it right after Halloween-which I still don't understand how they do that."

"Its called early holiday shopping." I shake my head. "No, I'm talking about how quickly they dress up for it. Its like, 'Oh, hey guys, its Halloween,' then the next day 'Ho! Its Christmas!' And the store is covered in hanging snowflakes and Santa's and reindeer." Armin snorts at my attempt to talk in a different voice. "Its called a paycheck, Eren."

"Whatever, I'm going to listen to my Christmas music," I pause to count on my fingers, "11 months early." Armin shakes his head dejectedly. "I fear the future of your child." 

I grin. "Why? Because you're the Godfather?" he throws his hands into the air. "I give up." I snicker.

"Eren?" I hear a sleep murmur of my name, and turn to see Mikasa standing in the doorway of my room. "What happened?" She rubs her eye, and my mind brings back the image of her when she was younger and was afraid of the scary monsters in her closet. She would stay up in her room on her bed, staring at the door and shaking. I only learned about her fear a year later, and by then it was almost too late. She would've gone insane if Armin and I had not snuck out of our rooms night after night and slept in her room.

"Well, you proceeded to chase Eren all around the apartment," Armin says. My gaze remains on Mikasa. "Which led to him slipping and falling in the bathroom and black out. He had locked the door, so you almost kicked down the door in an attempt to save him. But Erwin was able to hold you back while I unlocked it. I also, accidently, knocked you out after that."

Mikasa stops rubbing her eye and looks at her hand. "Why?" She goes back to rubbing her eye again.

 "Well, you _were_ threatening to castrate Erwin if he, quote one quote, 'kept trying to further impregnate my brother.' " Armin muses. "I simply thought it would be in the best interest of his future generations and you if I stopped you." Mikasa groaned. I snickered again.

"Please remind me later to notify my secretary to get some flowers," she muttered before stepping further into the room and flopping onto the bed between me and Armin. I patted her head. "Don't worry. I'm sure Erwin understands." Mikasa catches some kind of sarcasm in my tone and hits me lightly with a pillow. "Well, he left after making sure you were comfortable on the bed, so I guess he sort of does. " Armin says to me.

I shrug. "Anyways, he said he'd be checking up on you now and then. And he promised not to tell anyone about this...I think." Armin's eyes look far away, and I notice the faint frown on his face as well as the twitching in his fingers. "What do you mean?" I ask. Armin's eyes flicker to look at me before looking down.

"Its what he said...it bothers me, a bit."

"What did he say?" I can hear a faint growl in my voice. Mikasa looks up, and I know she heard it to from the way she looks at me.

"Nothing..."

"Armin."

He sighs. "He said, 'I think you and I both agree that things like this shouldn't be brought to the public eye.'" Armin fiddles with his fingers. " And then he left."

I tilt my head. "What's so bad about that?"

"The way he said it, Eren," Armin looks up to meet my gaze. " 'Things like this' like its _happened_ before. As if this is not the first time its happened."

"Well, he is right," I say. "this can't be the first time it happened."

"What?!"

"Think about it, Armin. You're not the only one with a gypsy book. You're not the only one who could fuck up a spell and get someone pregnant, man or woman." Armin looks away. Shit. I said the wrong thing. "Look, you can't blame yourself for this. It happens, Armin. No one is perfect, even if you have magic."

"No one is _just_ perfect," Mikasa murmurs, her gaze calm now. "I'm sure even Merlin had his bad days." I nod. Armin looks back to us. "It happens, Armin," I say softly, reaching out to hold his hand. "And there's no point in complaining about it or whine and bitching about how sad and miserable we are. We just have see the bright side to it. Like how you're the Godfather and Mikasa is the Godmother!" I  chirp.

"What."

"U-um, Eren? I forgot to tell her that..." Armin says lightly, afraid.

"Fuck."

I close my eyes in fear, but only hear a sigh and feel Mikasa fall on top of us. "You two are going to be the death of me," she groans. But she wraps her arms around the both of us the same, her cheek rubbing Armin's head.

 

///Pillow Talk///

 

After Mikasa takes a quick shower and leaves for work, Armin and I move to the kitchen to get breakfast started. Hey, who cares if the clock says 12:00 in the afternoon? Late breakfast. A few minutes in to our baking, I hear a knock at the door.

_Knock Knock._

I look up. "Am I expecting company?"

"No, but I am," Armin says, moving to wash his hands. "Marco called while you were asleep. I told him I was at your house."

"Ah. Is it today, then?" Get ready, guys, cause here's the biggest town gossip; You won't find the name Marco Bodt in any city records, or for that matter, in any bank records. That's because Marco Bodt died 8 years ago in a fire in his own home. He had been saving his newly born baby sister and succeeded in pushing her crib- _with her inside of it_ -outside of the second story window and landed safely in the dense bushes below. But before he could jump, the gas inside his house exploded and the entire house fell on him.

You will, however, find a Marcos Reiss in city records and bank accounts. He took up his mother's maiden name after he came back. Came back? what? what are you saying? Well, Armin had his little magic accident again, and accidently somehow brought back Marco from the dead. Now, he didn't look pretty at all- he lost the entire right side of his upper body in the fire. Armin wasn't able to put him back to rest, but he was able to create the illusion of his right body. Its not really real; you can touch it, taste it, Marco can even move it as he wants. It all feels and looks real. But its actually a copy.

Armin explained later that we needed to find the other half of his body to be able to make it real. 'You can't just create something from nothing,' he said. But Marco says it perished in the fire, and refused any offers from us to look for it. 'Even if its ashes, we can make your body you again,' Armin told him. But Marco still said no.

So, once every few years Marco has to see Armin so he can adjust his illusion and check to see if it was wearing off. Its a long process, but one Marco is fine with having. He always thanks and apologizes to Armin afterwards. Then he bakes something for us in gratitude. So you can see why I'm so excited when Armin said he was coming. His cakes are _really good_.

 Marco grins at me as I open the door; well, its more like one side of his face lifts in a whole hearted smile while the other remains stationary. "Hello, Eren," he greets happily. I smile, and try not to stare or think too much on the fact that only one side of mouth moved while the other only frowned at me. Damn, was that freaky. Especially when you're use to seeing the kid's whole face light up like a freaking Christmas tree. I open the door wider so Marco can come in.

Armin greets him further down the hall and together they move to the living room. I grab Marco a glass of water and wave off Armin's efforts to move into the bedroom. "It'll be fine, Armin. I'll just be in the kitchen. You won't even know that I'm here," is all I say. Marco thanks me and grabs my offered glass of water in both his hands.  

When I first head into the kitchen, its quiet. The only thing you can hear is the sound of the water in the sink and my light footsteps. Then there's this faint hum; like the sound of a bee's wings inside of a glass bottle. And then finally a song bursts out, and it sounds like....I don't even know how to describe it, but it sounds like a siren's song. The kind of song the distracted sailors and made them fall into the sea to drown themselves. A pure and whole sound you'd only find when a group of nuns in a church start to sing in Latin. Only this time, the song is sung in words only a Romani would understand. That's Armin's magic.

See, magic- or at least, Armin's family's Romani magic- is not a rhyme of words. Its not a poem that just about anyone can read. Yes, there are words, but they must be sung with not your voice, but your magic. Magic was actually a tune inside of yourself, and to use a spell you have to match the words to the tune. That's why some people can't do certain spells, because the words don't match up to their tune. It doesn't mean that you were born with bad or good magic. 'Just because you can't do a spell, doesn't mean you're bad,' Armin once told me. 'It just means you have to come up with your own spell.'

I turn off the fire on my stove and pause in my cooking to listen to Armin's magic. My eyes fall shut, and a content smile appears on my face. But it soon falls to a frown as my brain recalls an old memory of my mother.

My mother used to sing songs like this when I was younger. She always said that the words were magic, but I always thought it was the tune. Because no matter how hard I tried to stay awake, I always fell asleep, or calmed down, when my mother crooned the tune in my ear. Hearing Armin's song made me think of it. I hum along to it as I try to think of the words to my mother 's song.

Fear naught the bugle, though loudly it blows. It calls but the warders that guard thy repose...what was next? My face scrunched up in frustration  as I tried to remember. Feeling an odd warmth deep inside my tummy, my hands flew to cover it as I tried to think. I wasn't paying attention, and didn't know that the next room was shocked silent.

Fear naught the bugle, tho' loudly it blows, it calls but the warders that guard thy repose; their bows would be bended their blades would be red, ere the step of a foeman draws near to thy bed...what next? My mind kept thinking about how wrong Armin's song had sounded.

Oh, hush thee, my baby, thy sire was a knight. Oh, hush thee, my baby, oh bonnie, so bright...

"Oh, fear naught the bugle, tho' loudly it blows, it calls but the warders that guard thy repose; their bows would be bended, their blades would be red, ere the step of a foeman draws near to thy bed. Oh, hush thee, my baby, thy sire was a knight...oh, hush thee, my baby, oh bonnie, so bright..."

I sang the words out loud to myself, rubbing my belly thoughtfully as the warmth faded away soon after I finished. I wonder why my mother always said the words were magic?

"Eren." I jump and turn to see a wide-eyed Armin staring at me. "What did you just do?" He says in a firm tone. "What did you just do?"

 

 

 ///Pillow talk///

 

"I don't know." Is all I can say.

"You don't _know_?!" Armin shouts. "You just basically deflected my spell and recreated Marco! His arm is pretty much back to normal!" 

 "I don't know..." I murmur. A hand clasps my shoulder and shakes it lightly. "I'm not mad, Eren," Marco reassures. I look up to see his whole face smile. "I'm glad you fixed me."

" _Fixed_?!" Armin exclaims. "Marco, he recreated your arm and face from nothing! They're not illusions!" Marco only shrugs and moves into the kitchen to cook. "How?! How did you do it?!"

"I don't know, Armin! Like I just said, your song felt wrong, and mine felt right! So I just....sang it! To myself! I didn't know what it would do!" I say. I don't want to tell him about the vision of my mother, or that it was her song. Even if Armin was my brother in every way except blood, my mother was a touchy subject.

 "Okay, okay..." Armin runs his fingers through his hair as he calms down to think. "It might...it might be the baby."

"What?"

"Its hypothetical, but maybe the baby- because its created using magic, maybe it sensed that something was wrong with my spell and...fixed it. Through you. But how?" Armin begins to mutter to himself. Marco appears from the kitchen and hands me a plate of cookies an a glass of milk. "It was the same spell as ever, how could it be wrong...? Maybe I used it wrong? Or I was using the wrong spell all along?" Armin stares at my stomach.

"If only I could speed up the process and get you out of there so I can ask you these questions..." Terror fills my heart when I see Armin's fingers twitch towards his book, and I wrap my hands around my stomach protectively. "Armin..." I warn, glaring at him. "Don't you dare."

"Dare what?" Marco asks beside me. Oh, right. He didn't know. "Marco, meet baby. Baby, met Marco." I point accordingly to my stomach and Marco before covering it again.

 "Oh, how nice! Hello, baby- _BABY_?!"

Armin and I both stop looking at each other to watch the amusing struggle of Marco trying to wrap his head around the idea of a baby. A baby in my stomach. "Y-you're-you're _pregnant_?" I nod and pat my tummy. "Yep. Three weeks."

"H-how-What?-B-but- _ho_ _w_?"

 "Well, son, when a man loves a woman- or in this case, when a man loves a man-"

 I grin when Marco holds up a hand to stop me. "Oh my god, don't."

"You asked."

"In all seriousness, I had accidently gotten him pregnant." Armin explains. Marco begins to hyperventilate. "You mean you're the-"

"NO!" Armin and I both shout, and Marco breaths normally again. "Oh thank god," he wheezes out. I pat him on the back. "But Armin did cast a spell that got me pregnant, so, yeah." I say. "Do you know what you're going to do?" Marco asks, looking at me.  I nod. "I'm going to have it. Whether I like it or not, its here, so I might as well have it." Marco nods.

"Don't try to convince him otherwise, because Mikasa tried doing that." Armin advises.

"I'll keep that in mind," Marco says. "But what about a doctor? Are you going to give birth to the baby at home?" Shit. Way to rain on my parade, Sweet cheeks. So much for your future as a pediatrician- whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. A brilliant idea hits my head. "I know!" I say. I point at Marco. "You'll be my doctor!"

"What-"

"It'll be perfect!" I clap my hands. "You already know about the situation! You're the only one! Come on, you gotta help me out, Marco!"

 "But-"

"Please?" I through puppy dog eyes at him. "Please, Marco? You'll be a big help, and it'd be a great experience! Please?" Marco looks torn, looking from me to Armin. "He's right, Marco," Armin says then. "You're the only one we know with doctor experience, who knows how to handle pregnant situations, who also knows the circumstances of the child, and it'll be a great experience for you." Marco still looks unsure. "You're the only one."

Marco looks at both Armin and I again before sighing. His shoulders fall as he says. "Alright. I'll do it-"

_knock knock._

All of us turn to the door. "Am I expecting company?" I ask.

"Mikasa would've called," Armin murmurs.

"I don't have my phone on me, so it could be Jean." Marco supplies. I turn to give him a betrayed look. "I always insist upon knowing where the other person is," Marco shrugs. I roll my eyes and get up to answer the door.

_Knock knock._

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." I say irritably. My fingers find the door knob and turning it my mouth falls open to let lose one of my retorts. "Horse-" The rest of my sentence jumps off a cliff as the person standing before me is not _Horse face_ , but actually- my jaws falls down to the floor.

"Hello, Brat," he greets gruffly. "May I came in?"

 

///Pillow Talk///

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.


	6. Take Me To Church

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't really expect this to happen, okay? But my guess is that no one expects certain things to happen. But feel better, guys; Eren and Levi...eat fondue. ;)
> 
> Sorry if it just jumps at you. I tried, guys. I honestly tried.

Levi wonders briefly why the hell Erwin was able to convince him to come here. Was it because he was mildly curious about the boy from yesterday and Christmas and New Years, this boy called Eren, who claims to have his child? Or was it because Levi felt obligated to see him since he apparently is pregnant with his child? No. Even if he really was pregnant with his child, Eren could go to hell for all Levi cared.

No. Levi growled, wiping his feet extra hard on the door mat of the building to release some bent up anger. No, no. That wasn't it at all.

It was the fact that Erwin knew where the kid lived.

_Erwin._

Levi clenched his hands into fists in his jacket pockets.

_Erwin._

Maybe the people below him didn't appreciate someone stomping up the stairs, but Levi found that he didn't care. In his opinion, they had no right to complain unless they knew a tall blonde man named Erwin, who apparently liked to perv on boys half his age. Sourly, Levi remembered that he was no better; plus he even got one of the boys _pregnant_. Images of yesterday with Eren pop up in his mind then; his hesitance and uncertainty that soon melted into a cocky confidence so full of heat that effectuated a same zeal within Levi's own skin. He shivered, even now, at the mere memory of how Eren tilted his head in a motion that move his head from one side to the other and swept his bangs from his eyes, freeing their fevering gaze to set on him and entrap him in their green fire.

_Tiger, Tiger, burning bright, in the forests of the night..._

He paused from knocking on the door when he noticed his shaking hand. Growling, he fisted his hand and all but banged on the door. The voices he heard behind the door stopped. A few seconds of awful silence followed that gritted on Levi's thin patience. He knocked again, this time a little softer. The muffled reply that answered shocked Levi to the bone. "I'm coming, I'm coming," the voice said irritably, a voice that was too grown and yet too young, too mature and worn to belong to anyone but-

The door swung open. Levi truly felt decimated when Eren's face appeared, full of fire. He felt his own heart flutter and soften.

_In what distant deeps or skies, burnt the fire of thine eyes?_

_And what shoulder-and what art-could twist the sinews of thy heart?_

Eren looked so pure and innocent and kissable that Levi's brain faltered and he didn't know what to say. Immediately, his defenses were up, and his pride answered.

_Did He who made the lamb make thee?_

"Hello, brat." Well, fuck. That was not what he wanted to say. There were so many other ways to say it, his brain nagged, but you just had to sound like the five year-old on the playground refusing the affections the older girls _. Guð, ég er heimskur._ I bet Erwin would've come up with a better way- Levi grits his teeth."May I come in?" He tries again.

 

\\\\\Pillow talk\\\\\

 

Eren's green eyes blink widely, his face almost looking identical to the one he made that night, when Levi had- _stop it, me._ "Uh...Just...Just give me a second. Um," Eren bit his lips, and Levi felt his cheeks were a little _too_ warm all of a sudden.  "Wait here," Eren held up a finger before closing the door again. Levi hears a sudden flurry of footsteps and confused voices before the door opens again. Two boys, probably around the same age as Eren, step out. Curiosity and a little bit of jealousy makes Levi say, "If you have company-"

"They were just leaving," Eren says, his head popping up from behind them and moving to stand before Levi. "Right?" He gives the short blonde a pointed look, which he ignores.

"So you're-" The blonde's mouth opens before its covered by the taller freckled-covered boy. "Right, of course." The boy says quickly. "We'll be going now." The blonde looks unwilling, but the freckled boy drags him away. Eren releases a sigh and mutters something. Levi turns to look at him. "What?" He asks the brunet, his eyes flicking back and forth from Eren's lips and his eyes. His mind was trying to control the strange impulse to touch the brat's lips.

Eren looks at him, the surprise on his face giving away the fact that Eren almost forgot he was here. And somewhere in the back of his mind, Levi registered a brief irritation over that.  He wasn't born- he hadn't live his life- just so he could be ignored by this...brat. "What the hell where you muttering under your breath, brat?" Levi immediately regretted the harshness of his tone when he saw the fire heating up in Eren's eyes. A jolt ran down Levi's stomach to his lower regions.

"Nothing _you_ need to be concerned about," Eren parries using the same tone. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Levi took a moment to breathe so he wouldn't rise to the challenge Eren sent him. "I want to talk," he says, offering a white flag. "If that's alright."

Eren studied him. Levi struggled not to shiver under the scrutiny of his gaze. "Fine," The brat says. He moves away. "Come on in."

 

\\\\\Pillow Talk\\\\\

 

The awkward silence is all that's between them. Well, that and a table.

Levi leans forward to take a sip of his drink. Eren watches him. Levi leans back.

Eren leans forward to sip his tea. Levi watches him and the kid looks away as his sips. He leans back.

They both look in opposite directions. Eren fidgets, before getting up and moving to turn on the radio for some reason then coming back. "Would you like some more water?" He asks. Levi shakes his head. Eren sits back down again, and Levi looks away to take in the apartment. The kid keeps it cleaner than he thought he would; maybe not up to Levi standards, but its still...decent. The couches were a little worn, but neat. Dishes piled up in the sink, but that was the only trace of uncleanliness that Levi could see.

The room was painted a creamy white. The couches were of a very pale blue color, and matching curtains fluttered softly in the wind. The counters were a soft gray while the walls of the kitchen were painted a bright yellow. All in all, it was an outstanding designing job. "Not bad, kid." Levi praised.

Eren rolled his eyes. "Thank you, but I assumed you weren't here to talk about my amazing designing skills." Levi nodded. "I'm...here to get to know you," Levi tells him. "I figured I might as well get to know the person who's bearing my child."

"Look, I went to you yesterday to tell you about my situation, not make you a part of it." Eren growls. "I don't need you're pity." Levi's chest fills with warmth over the fact that Eren _actually_ has a backbone. There was no way he could be content with someone who just rolled over for him. "I'm not here to offer my pity, Eren. And if you'd noticed, I just as a big of a part of this....situation...of ours as you are." Eren resigns to nod his head, closing his eyes. "True." Levi looks away and gets up. "Look, obviously now's probably not the best time for you. I'll come back next week," He says, moving towards the door. "By then you'll have made up your mind over what we should do."  He slips his shoes back on easily and moves to open the door. But a hand on his arm stops him.

"I've already decided what I would do," Eren murmurs into his ear. Levi feels jolts going down his stomach again towards his lower region at the heated breath ghosting over his ear. "A better question is; decide if I want you to be a part of it or not." Eren pauses. Levi releases a wavering breath as the kid mulls something over in his mind. Then, "Convince me, Levi," He murmurs. Levi feels his fingers slide sensually up his arm and shivers. "Convince me...

"Like you did that night..."

Levi feels Eren wrap his hand over his wrist and move it away from the door. He looks up to meet fiery sea green eyes. "Eren, we-"

"Convince." Eren says harshly. His fingers hold Levi's face up to look him in the eye. "Me."

Levi stares.

He's unsure next how they made it to the bedroom fully clothed. Levi takes the smallest second to flick his gaze over the card-room green paint and the blue-and-white bed sheets and covers before looking back at Eren, who covers his face in fleeting kisses. The kid has his legs wrapped around his waist and Levi holds his arms around his back so that he cans support his weight while his fingers get lost and tangled in brown hair. Somewhere in between kisses and discarding of clothing, Levi hears the song playing on the radio;

 _"_ _She_ _tells me 'worship in the bedroom.'_

_The only heaven I'll be sent to_

_Is when I'm alone with you_

_I was born sick, but I love it_

_Command me to be well..."  
_

Eren murmurs encouragements and soft pleas as the kisses becomes more and more heated and there was more skin than clothing. Levi slides his fingers is a wavy pattern over Eren's arms and the kid throws his head back. His teeth sink down lightly on the exposed skin.

_"Amen. Amen. Amen..."_

 The kisses and nips led up his chin and Eren's head falls down to meet Levi's in a bruising kiss. Hitting the edge of the bed, Levi drops Eren on it and watches him wither about while he undresses. Then he falls on top of him, lips and hands meeting in a strange but fulfilling embrace. Eren sucks on his bottom lip and pulls back to give him a heated grin. Then it changes into an 'o' as he jaw falls when Levi's fingers finds his hips and massages them with his fingers.

Levi kisses him again, slipping his tongue in to meet Eren's in a warm dance. He swallows moan after moan as he slowly removes Eren's pants and underwear. Then he hisses and tosses his head as his cock is hit with hot friction. Eren tugs on his hair and growls before rolling them over. His lips clash into Levi's again, fiery green gaze matching cool silver. 

Eren pulls back and releases short raspy breaths, the edges of his lips curling upwards in a grin while a thin trail of saliva hangs in the space between them. Levi slides his hands up to hold Eren's shoulders as the kid moves his hands around his chest, murmuring praises over the tight muscles and skin. His lips followed the trails his fingers left. Levi cups the back of his head and groans quietly as the brat licks his navel and whispers hot phrases as his fingers find Levi's throbbing cock. Eren looks up to watch the pleasure on Levi's face and smirks as his fingers squeeze too gently- _too gently_ - _not enough_ - _God_ -

He drags Eren back up into a aggressive kiss and turns them over again. Eren smirks and says something about getting more serious, but Levi's not paying attention. He's too focused now on proving- _something_ \- he doesn't-oh god he doesn't _know_ -he's not sure what he wants to _prove_ but he _does_ know that he wants more. _Now_. He nips Eren's nipple when he becomes too cheeky and talks to damn much. The animal inside of him purrs when he hears the brat's pleasured groans. His fingers press down as they move up Eren's sides and down his arms to wrap around his wrists.

_"If I'm a pagan of the good times_

_My lover's the sunlight_

_To keep the Goddess on my side_

_She demands a sacrifice-_

_To drain the whole sea_

_Get something shiny_

_Something meaty for the main course..."_

He tugs Eren's hands towards him and guides them as they wrap around the kid's own cock. Eren jolts in surprise and looks down to meet Levi's icy gaze. The kid moans and says his name, asking him to touch him. Levi smirks and says his is. And before Eren can say anything more, Levi squeezes his hands around his and slides their fingers down together. Levi's tongue darts out to lick at the pre-cum spilling out, sending his hot gaze to catch Eren's glistening one. The kid throws his head back into the pillow and whines, his hips moving from side to side in desperation.

Levi looks back to their conjoined hands pumping up and down Eren's firm length, his tongue and teeth grazing the skin lightly now and then. A thrill goes through Levi when the kid jolts and his cock jumps slightly. He does this several times, until Eren's a hot moaning mess, before he decided enough punishment. He moves his hands away from Eren's length and moves down to his pulsing hole. He slips a finger in and Eren cries out. A tube is suddenly handed to him, and soon, Eren's moaning as three fingers slip inside of him.

_"No masters or kings when the ritual begins_

_There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin_

_In the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene_

_Only then I am human;_

_Only then I am clean_

_Amen. Amen. Amen..."_  
  
Levi watches as Eren comes apart on his fingers, cum spilling out from his cock. He swipes a hand over the mess on Eren's stomach and licks it while Eren pants at him. He smirks when the brat's eyes widen and his cock hardens again. "We aren't finished yet, kid." He tells him. Eren moans as Levi rolls him over and lifts his hips slightly, angling them. Levi then lays his stomach on Eren's back and rests his arms on either side of Eren's. The kid's head tilts back.  

_" **Take me to church-**_

_I'll **worship** like a **dog** at the shrine of your **lies**_

_I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife_

_Offer me that **deathless death-**_

_**Good God** , let me give you my life!"_  
  
 Eren cries out as Levi thrusts in, his teeth clenching at the brat's pants and whimpers. His first few thrusts are shallow as he kisses up Eren's back and links their hands together as he sinks his teeth into his neck. Eren nearly screams, and Levi covers and swallows it with his mouth.

_" **Take me to church-**_

_I'll **worship** like a **dog** at the shrine of your **lies**_

_I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife_

_Offer me **my** **deathless death-**_

_**Good God** , let me give you my life!"_

Levi grunts when the brat thrusts his hips back to meet Levi's. He thrusts harder now, giving the brat what he wanted. Eren moans and cries out as he comes again, his ass tightening around Levi's throbbing cock. He gasps as the already tight feeling around his cock gets even tighter, and seconds later, comes. He groans in Eren's ear and bites down on it as he spills his cum inside, his conscious sends a fleeting warning that this is how he got into this situation in the first place. He ignores it, of course, and falls contently on top of the kid, breathing in the sweet smell of his hair.

_" **Take me to church-**_

_I'll **worship** like a **dog** at the shrine of your **lies**  
_

_I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife_

_Offer me that **deathless death-**_

_**Good God** , let me give you my life..."_

 The kid turns in his arms and lays his ear to Levi's chest, his pants quieting down. Levi turns so he isn't squashing him and is instead holding him to his chest in his arms. He rests his chin on the brat's head and his head on the pillow. He sighs; his brain turned to absolute putty for the moment and he'd rather keep it that way. Eren seemed to agree with that, for he didn't ask any questions and complied when Levi moved away to clean up and grabbed a wash cloth in the process to clean Eren up.  Then they fell back into the same position as before and promptly fell asleep, their bodies tangled together like lovers linked hands.

 And in the morning when Eren woke up, he was alone.

 

 \\\\\Pillow Talk\\\\\

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you realize how much I laughed when I kept reading pants as the material definition and not the short, raspy breaths one? Oh my god, I'm still laughing XD


	7. 20cm Away From You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Let me just apologize for any spelling mistake sorry errors or random shit. I just finished writing this and wanted to get it out.

" _Are you alright, Eren?_ " Armin asks over the phone the next morning. I was making myself breakfast when I heard the phone ring, and now I tilt my head to my shoulder to hold the phone as I reach to pour milk into my cereal. I hum in response to his question as I settle down on my couch. "Define what you mean by 'alright,'" I say.

" _Do you require medical attention?_ " I snort at that.

"Yes, that's exactly what I need-Why, hello, doctor, I'm here for my regular check-up. Yes the kids are fine-though, speaking of which I'll have to mention this little problem-no, no, its nothing like that- you see, I'm pregnant," I give a flashy smile before my lips fall and I shove my spoon in my mouth.  I can hear Armin roll his eyes at my dramatics. He sighs loudly over the phone in exasperation. "You _know that's not what i meant,_ "

"Then please, enlighten me."

" _Did he hurt you?_ " Armin says then, not hesitating with the punch. I choke on the food I was chewing on and cough loudly as I answer. "Fucking-Armin-of course he did." I tell him. Then I shake my head. Armin's breath on the other end is shallow, and I can almost see his blue eyes light up with an unforgiving flame. "I'm guessing you don't understand how sex works, my dear Armin," I grin, knowing the shocked look that had to be on Armin's face right about now. "Seeing as how you still are waving around that v-card of yours." 

"So I'm going to tell you how sex works," I say cheerily. Armin groans at my words and I snicker evilly. "When a man sticks his penis anywhere, its painful for the other party-mostly because, well, a penis is either getting shoved up your vagina or, this case, my anus-" I hear Armin smack his forehead and mutter a curse at himself for getting me started. "-And its painful, very painful at fist, but very, very, very pleasurable," I lick my lips. "for all involved." I finish.

" _I hope you're happy,_ " Armin mutters.

"I am," I say smugly, smirk on my face. I take another bite of my cereal as Armin says, " _I also hope you know that I think you sleep with all these people-_ "

"Yes, yes," I interject before he can finish. "Because I want to make up for the affection I had missed as a child. Sheesh, I know already, Doctor Phil." I place a hand on my stomach then, a small smile on my face as my fingers press gently on my flesh. "But I promise it'll stop. I've...I've got a baby to think about, now." I say quietly, ducking my head. Armin turns quiet on the other end.

Then he sighs, "Did he really hurt you?" he asks again.

I take my time answering. "...No. Not physically, at least." but _oh_ , did he hurt my heart by walking out that door. Walking out the door and not even saying good-bye. Not even relieving me of the _apprehension;_ of the worry, of the waiting-the fleeting, miserable, hopeless hope- that he might walk back in again. I glance at the door as I say those words, studying it for a moment. Levi had been...special. There are only five people in the world who I consider special to me. Mikasa and Armin, of course, and Marco; now Levi was one of those few. I knew, the moment I laid eyes on him at the party-knew from the moment his cold silver eyes looked up to meet mine that he was _special_.

Armin doesn't say anything on the other end of the line-maybe because he knows. I know if he was here he'd be able to read all my thoughts with just one look. That his assumptions would be proven correct by the dismissed way I sat on the couch, leaning over on myself like a rejection letter curled up at the corners.

I know for my words he can guess half of that.

But he doesn't say anything; he doesn't have to. He only offers his quiet presence through the phone as I continue to eat my breakfast in silence.

 

///Pillow Talk///

 

I end up going to work, despite how badly I wanted to curl up at home. Mikasa had dragged me out with the promise of lunch.  

"I'm gonna kill him," Mikasa says in a clear voice. I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Is that covered in your roommate agreement," I say as I snip a dying flower from its patch. "Murdering someone?"Mikasa glowers at me, I can tell, from the sudden increase of weight between my shoulder blades. My back was to her. She huffs in irritation. "Why did you even sleep with him?"

"Oh, I don't know," I say with a smile as I grab  the flowers whose names I written down on a piece of paper and bring them over to the counter to arrange into a bouquet. A customer had called in and placed an order the day before. I hold out my hand to Mikasa for my tools. "He just threw himself at me, Mikasa-begged me to take him right then and there." I tell her. "'Oh please, Eren, please take me to bed with you-I saw you yesterday and I just couldn't resist your-'" I mock in a bad imitation of a young boy's tone. Mikasa smacks me on the head before I can finish and I yelp.

"Stop playing around," Mikasa says darkly. I grin nervously at her as I wrap up the bouquet. The bell above the door rings announcing the arrival of a customer. I look up with a smile. "How may I help you today?" I say warmly.

"Um, I'm here to pick up an order?" The woman says calmly, blinking deep brown eyes up at me through dyed blonde bangs. She runs a hand through her short hair. "Its under the name-"

"Avine?" I ask. She nods. " Here then," I push over the bouquet I just made. "You have good timing. I just finished it."

"I know," she says, inspecting it as I ring her up. "The stalks are still wet."

"Going to visit a graveyard?" I ask. The girl blinks wide eyes up at me. I point down at her flowers. "Your bouquet- Everlasting flowers, Frankincense, and Heath. They mean 'Never ceasing remembrance,' 'faithful heart,' and 'solitude.' And give that you specifically asked me for these, I'd say you were either visiting a friend who passed on or trying to make up with someone."

The girl looks startled for a moment. With her eyes that were a deep and murky brown looking up at me and seeming to look into my soul like Armin's, I start to question if I said the right thing. Then she smiles. "You're a smart lad, Eren," is all she says before handing me the money and leaving.

Mikasa looks down at her watch.

"Almost 12," she tells me as I head into the back room. I wave a hand in acknowledgement as I grab a vase with a bouquet of flowers I had made when I first came in for work. I'm careful not to bump into anything as I walk back out to the front and set the vase on display on the counter.

Mikasa makes a soft sound. "Its beautiful, Eren," she compliments, eyes bright at the sight of the flowers. Her hands touch on of their petals. "What are they?"

"Cornflower, Pheasant eyes, Yellow tulips, and Pink Carnations," I inform her. I tie a silver lacy bow around the vase.

"What do they mean?"

 I pause as I measure the length of the laces of the bow. Then I grab my pair of scissors and snip, the sound loud and deafening in my ears.

"Delicacy, Sorrowful remembrance, and hopeless love." I tell her. Mikasa places a hand on my cheek and turns my gaze to meet her glassy one. She searches my eyes for an answer, fingers soothing the lines on my face away.

"You've got it bad." She says. I don't say anything. She already knows.

But what she doesn't know is the meaning of a pink carnation. I know that because she tries to cheer me up by saying, "You'll get over it someday." I only nod and take off my apron to replace it with my jacket. I follow her out, flipping the sign on the door from Open to Closed. I pause there though. I look back once at the bouquet before turning off the light and locking the door behind me.

 _I won't forget you_.

 

 ///Pillow talk///

 

 After lunch, I go back home. I don't feel like being surrounded by flowers today; don't feel like smiling as though I'm happy and everything fine today. But that's alright. Tomorrow I might be better. But today I need to grieve.

But before I can open my door one of my neighbors stops me. Its Mrs. Florrick; an elderly woman who moved here after her kids had grown up and her grandchildren were all in high school. Sometimes I stop by to say hello; other times I accept her offer of tea or dinner. Its something that works for both of us. I get a decent meal now and then, and she gets to feels as though she's with her grandchildren again, because they never visit.

She opens her door as I pass. "Mr. Yeager," she calls. I pause with my back to her and take a breath before turning with a cheerful smile on my face. "Hello, Mrs. Florrick." I greet. "How are you today?"

"Just fine," she tells me. "I just wanted to tell you that a man had been here earlier, asking where you were."

Hope fills my chest. "A-a man?" I ask hesitantly. Mrs. Florrick nods. "A tall man-with blonde hair and blue eyes. Very polite, I suppose, but a little bit old." My heart plummets at her words and my shoulders slump. "Oh," I say quietly.

 "Is this something I should be concerned about, Eren?" She asks. I jolt. "N-no! He's just a friend," I reassure her. She looks at me disbelievingly for a moment before nodding. "Just remember, eren-if yo uneed anything, anything at all, I'm only a wall away." I smile and thank her as she closes her door.

When I open my door, I find a small piece of paper on the ground. Picking it up, I read;

_Eren, give me a call when you get back. I have to talk to you about something._

_547-243-xxxx_

_Erwin._

 "Guess I shouldn't leave him hanging," I mutter. I leave my jacket on but toe off my shoes as I head for my phone. Punching in the numbers on the paper, I don't even have to wait longer than the first ring before Erwin picks up. " _Eren,_ " the older man says breathlessly. I feel a rush of heat appear on my face at Erwin's voice. " _I came by earlier. The kind elderly woman next door said you'd be at work by now._ " He expresses a touch of concern that I shrug at.

"I didn't feel like working today," is all I say. Erwin doesn't comment. Its quiet for a moment before Erwin asks politely," _What do you do for a living?_ "

"Look for unsuspecting men and have their babies," I answer immediately.  

 " _...To each his own, I suppose..._ "

 "Shut up, Erwin," I laugh. "I happen to own a flower shop. I spent my entire high school years working for the money to buy it. There'd been a few rough spots, but its really famous now. And, you really need to get a sense of humor if you're going to talk to me. "

 " _I'll write that down on my to-do list._ " I snort at that. Erwin releases a soft chuckle in reply. "What did you need to talk to me about?" I ask.

" _I...well, that is to say-_ "

"Hold on!" I interrupt. Erwin pauses to listen as I say, "You have to take me to dinner first."

" _Dinner?_ "

"Yep. You can tell me all about whatever it is you need to tell me then. Pick me up at say, seven?" I say with a smile. Before he can say anything else I say a cheery goodbye and hang up. I sigh then, releasing a shaking breath. Warmth blooms for my stomach up to my chest and settles just beneath my heart. Smiling, I place a distracted hand on my stomach as I walk over and settle on the couch.

"Its been a while," I say. I rub my hands over my stomach, not feeling a bit weird that I was talking to it. "Mikasa told me that I won't be able to see you until three months for now. She even showed me pictures," I snort. "and let me tell you, they were _not_ pretty. I don't know if its because I'm a guy, but I always imagined that when you were pregnant, the bump appears like, the day after you find out. Always seemed like that to me anyway. Guess I haven't been around a lot of pregnant people before.

"Anyways, I just want you to know that I'm excited to see you. I know its only been a few days, but...I'm...I'm not scared, you know? I know I should be-I'm a 23 year old guy who lives alone in an apartment. Speaking of which, how am I supposed to explain this to the neighbors? They definitely won't understand my sudden weight gain. Eh, I'll figure something out. But...I'm not scared. I really, really happy that I'm having you. And...I'm really excited for the day I get to meet you.

"Hey, are you going to be a boy or a girl? Mikasa said its too early to tell. But I wanted to start thinking about names for you. I told Marco that and he just said I have a lot of time to think about that. Still. I'm thinking about maybe...Smoky? I don't know, I'm terrible at naming things. My excuse is that I never had a pet.

"You're so special," I croon then. "So special-and not because your biological mother is a guy. You're special to me, little one. I promise that when you come out there'll be a lot of people to love you- your Godmother Mikasa and Godfather Armin. Marco. Maybe even that horse-face, Jean.

"And there's my coworkers, too. Connie and Sasha don't know about you, but they'll love you. Annie, too. And I'm sure Erwin will like you. And Levi, he..." I bit my lip, hesitating.

"There's me, little one. I'll love you until the world ends and even then, I'll still love you. I'll love you so much that you won't ever think about your other father, alright? Don't you dare think otherwise-I'll work even harder then to prove you wrong.

"Alright? So...don't be afraid. Don't push yourself. A whole lot of people are waiting for you, so you just take your time and become the best you can ever be. I know you will. Don't be scared." I whisper the last words as I curl in upon myself. I fall to the side and my cheek hits the pillows as I stare outside the window. "Don't be scared," I say, more to myself.

"I'm here."

 

///Pillow talk///

 

"When I said take me out to dinner, I didn't mean this," I tell Erwin from across the table. A waiter stops by to pour more wine into Erwin's cup, and he offers it to me. I shake my head at him. "What do you mean, 'this?'" Erwin asks as he blinks wide blue eyes at me, as if he doesn't know.

"This!" I exclaim, gesturing at the fancy five star restaurant he took me to. The small table we sat at had to be reserved for a least a year or two, because it was the best seat in the house. It was close enough to other tables yet far enough we could have a private conversation. It also had a beautiful view of the city night-life outside the window. "You obviously had this reserved for a special lady friend," I grumble.

Erwin sips his wine. "No, actually. I just called today and they offered me this."

"No way. Impossible. You had to have pulled a few strings."

"Maybe," Erwin humors. His eyes are bright from the small candle resting between us.

I lean forward. "Who'd you kill?" All Erwin does in answer is sip his wine again. "Come on, you can trust me. Who'd you have to kill?" Erwin stares at me for a long moment.

"No one in particular," he finally says.

"Hah!" I say triumphantly before sitting back. "I knew it." I grin at him. He looks a little offended. "Is it really too much?" he asks suddenly. "Yes!" I say in blunt honesty. "Even if my store is famous, there's no way I can ever afford a place like this."

Erwin looks confused and appalled. "You mean, you've never been to a place like this?" I shake my head, and he looks a little sad. "A shame." he tells me. "You deserve to be taken out like this once in a while."

"Are you pulling that old trick?" I taunt. "You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to whisk me away to your room tonight."To his credit, Erwin doesn't choke on the whine. "I already told you, I have no interest in making our relationship more than just friends."

"Good," I agree, then take a sip of my water. I reach for the breadsticks as Erwin says, "So I take it that none of your...suitors have brought you to a five-star restaurant?" I nod as I bite down on the soft bread. "The most fanciest food I've ever received was from the olive garden. I only got to the breadsticks before we got kicked out."

"What for?"

"My...suitor at the time was high and drunk and very, very loud. I got fed up with it, so I dumped him a few days later." Erwin stares at me but I ignore him in favor of looking at the menu. Let's see...nope. Nope, I can't read French. German and Japanese I'm a pro at, but French? Got me there. Come on, me, I tell myself as I squint at the words. French, Spanish, and English are the children of Latin, right? So I should be able to guess some...yeah, no, no. I can't understand this. The only thing I can understand is water and the snail dish, but I hate snails-

 "Eren," I look up at the sound of my name to see Erwin place a hand on top of mine. "I'm honored to be the first person to take you to a five-star restaurant." he says sincerely, eyes brighter than should be possible in the low light. I cough but don't move my hand. "Y-yeah. Same here." Erwin leans back and his hand moves off of mine.

""Are you ready to order now?" A voice says next to us. I struggle not to jump as the waiter seems to emerges out of nowhere to hover over Erwin's shoulder. He points at a few things and says some names in French that the waiter jots down. Erwin then closes his menu with a soft slap and hands it to the other's waiting hands. I quickly snatch my own menu off the table and hand it over as well. "what did you order?" I ask hesitantly once we're left alone again.

"A few more wines." Erwin tells me. he switches the subject back to me again. "I assumed, from what you told me, you haven't ever tasted high-quality food before."

"Hey," I say.

Erwin apologizes. "I ordered you something simple. Soup, salad, and grilled salmon with Lemon Spice Beurre Blanc. I didn't know if you liked fish or not."

"No, no, its cool," I reassure. "I'd eat practically anything you put in front of me. And besides, you've taken me out to a fancy dinner. If I can't deal with a fish or two..." I shrug.

"I still have to take your... _condition_ into consideration." Erwin says. I nod.

"Mikasa says if I was a girl, I'd be noticing that I missed my period by now." I shrug before reaching for another breadstick. Erwin watches me as he pours more whine into his glass. "Around this time I can take a pregnancy test. I won't feel pregnant until...five, six weeks, I think."

Erwin raises a brow. "Are you going to take the test?"

"And get the answer I was expecting?" I smile. Then I shrug. "Sure, why not? No harm in proving myself correct. I'll stop by at the drugstore on my way home tonight." I gulp down some water as Erwin says, "You seem to have a lot of confidence in your friend." 

"He is usually 999.9% right when it comes to magic."

"But if he is wrong?" Erwin watches me from under lowered lashes.  I shrug again. "Some crazy tale to tell the rest of my friends then." Erwin chuckles lowly at that. I smile, and just then the waiter comes by with a cart. "You're soup, sir," he says, placing a small bowl in front of me. I thank him quietly and he nods once before carting off to another table.

"I'll have to find another place to live, though," I say as I wait for my soup to cool. Erwin sets down his glass and looks at me in confusion.

"Why's that?"

"Neighbors," I tell him. I dip my spoon in the soup and blow on it before swallowing. "Might start asking questions if I'm really pregnant." Erwin nods in understanding.

"Where are you thinking?"

"Somewhere outside of town," I say. "Where people don't ask questions. I can have my friends deliver me groceries when my stomach gets a little too obvious."

"I might..." Erwin trails off as another waiter sets a plate of salad in front of both of us. The waiter asks something in French that Erwin waves his hand dismissively at. He bows and carts off towards the kitchens. "I might have something for you."

I tilt my head inquisitively. "I own a few side businesses. I could-"

"You better not end that sentence with 'give you a house,' Erwin," I threaten, pointing my fork at him. "I won't accept that. And if you tell me that it'd be no trouble, I'll start ranting about how unfair the difference between middle class and wealthy class is." Erwin holds up his hands in surrender.

"I wasn't going to offer you a house," he says. "I was going to offer you a job-a better paying one than the one you have right now."

I bristle. "I happen to love my current job." I growl.

"I know, I'm sorry I said it like that," Erwin says quickly. "What I meant was, I wanted to help you. Seeing as how your friends have every other area covered beautifully, I can only help financially."

I squint my eyes at him. "I don't like charity," I say.

"That's why I'm offering the job. You work for the money, and I pay you." At that moment, a waiter appears again. He talks with Erwin about something, but I zone them out. My eyes travel around the room in boredom before settling on the front desk. From here, I get the perfect view of Levi walking in with a taller woman beside him. His hands are in his suit pockets, and the woman fixes her glasses as she talks to-

Wait a second.

That's...Levi.

Hold the phone.

Levi.

My brain spits and sputters to a halt.

Levi and a woman.

What-

Levi following the waiter with the woman behind him.

Wait.

The waiter leading them in this direction.  

 At the empty table behind Erwin and I.

The empty seat just behind the little wall separating the tables.

No way. 

I stand abruptly. Erwin and the waiter look at me with wide eyes and I stutter out an excuse that I need to use the bathroom. The waiter points the  appropriate direction and I all but run inside. I dash into the nearest stall, slamming my back against it as it closes. My-my chest-I can't-can't breathe-oh god I think I'm going into a panic attack. I heave as I take in heavy breaths, my hands shaking as they locked the door. My legs were shaking too much for me to stand so I sink down on of the toilet. My head falls to my knees as my fingers tie and untie my shoelaces, trying to distract me and lower my blood pressure.

Why?

Why was he here? Couldn't fate give me more time before I saw him again? Like, a year or two?

Or never?

Why does he have to be here with that woman, too? I knew that what we had no commitments, knew that nothing was written in stone, and yet my heart hurts. I...I thought...he wasn't like that...he didn't do things like that...didn't lie behind people's backs for his own pleasure...but he...we...she...I squeeze my eyes shut as I try to block everything out.

Levi had been special.

Levi was special.

Levi _is_ special, my heart tells me.   

Levi, the father of the child within me. For the rest of its life-and therefore, my own, he'd be special. He'd forever be the reason why my child was brought into existence, why my child got to live, why I got to love and hold my child for the rest of my life. Until I died or the world ended, Levi would be, was, had been, is, and will always be- _special_.

But I...my child...we won't be special to him. At best, I think, we'd be his curse.

We are unwanted. I could lie and beg and plead otherwise, but the cold truth was that I and my child would be unwanted by him. He was older; if he waned a wife and child he would've already done so. And even then, we'd be seen as the misfortune. The mistake. The strange accident that wrecked his home and tore his happiness apart.

Levi and I...what we had was only a one night stand. Only. There were no promises, no vows we exchanged. Levi didn't have to claim this child because he didn't intend for it to happen; I didn't either, but I was the one who made the choice to have it. That was my own choice. So Levi should make his own choice, right? If he wanted the child or not? If he did want it though, I had no right to deny him. But I get the feeling he doesn't want it. 

I...I had no right to demand responsibility for his actions then.

I could yell and scream at him, cause a scandal. But what would that do? I was a 23 year old man; no one would believe I was pregnant except for those involved. I could sue him, black mail him, but that'll only cause each other pain, and I didn't want my child to grow up hating their father for something Levi and I did.

That's it then.

I wipe the few tears that had rolled down my cheeks. That's it. I'll raise my child on my own. I don't need Levi. I'll raise my child, with the help of Mikasa and Armin and the others, to be strong. Somehow, we'll make it. I know it.

I stand then. Brush off my shoulders and roll my head to loosen my muscles. I wash my face with cold water from the sink and smack my cheeks to bring some life back into them. And then I leave, although a woman gives me a stare as she walks inside. I realize I had accidently run into the girls bathroom, but I don't care.

I pause just before walking back to the table. There was Levi; sitting in the cushioned seat opposite to mine.The waiter was till there chatting with Erwin, so I guess he didn't notice. I take a gulp of breath and march myself over to my chair. Neither male looks up as I sit down, my back erect. My breath becomes a little raspy so I take a gulp of water before returning to my soup.

A weight thumps heavily into the seat and I release a tiny squeak. We were at least only 20 cms away, and I could...I could almost smell him... I could hear his voice that spoke low and deep and made my cheeks blush with the memories they coaxed forth. The woman says something then and Levi laughs at it; it sounds like the deep ringing of a church bell announcing the early hour to all who were awake to hear it, calling them to gather, calling them to come near .

I...could never make him laugh...

I stuff my face with more soup as Erwin finishes talking to the waiter. Our food comes shortly afterwards. Erwin eats daintily while I stab at my food in silence. I chance a glance behind me to see the back of Levi's head. Through the elegant hand-carved leaves, I can see his neat haircut. The woman sits across from them and laughs at something he says; they're speaking French.

How cruel, I think miserably. My face sours as I turn back to my food.

"Is something wrong?" Erwin asks. I look up at him and give him a small smile. "No," I say. "I...just lost my appetite all of a sudden. I'm sorry."

Erwin smiles. "Its alright, Eren. If you're finished, I'll ask for the paycheck." He waves his hand at one of the waiters standing with a pitcher. Before he can ask for the tab, I ask quietly, "Can I get a box for this?"

Erwin gives a small nod and tells the waiter something. The waiter looks a little thrown off, but he smoothly bows and heads for the cashier.  As he rings us up, Erwin turns to me. "Would you like to tell me what's the matter?" I shake my head. "Nothing," I say. "Just think I'm getting those mood swings that Mikasa told me about."

Erwin nods as the waiter comes back with a small receipt and a box that I grab. He quickly signs the receipt and hands a black credit card to the waiter.  I make a face, only guessing how much money you had to make to get a black credit card from a bank. Erwin chuckles lightly at my face. "I sense you're about to give me a rant about the unfair difference between rich and poor," he jokes.

I smile proudly. "You made your first joke!" I applaud.  

 "The first of many," Erwin says, and I crack up. The waiter returns Erwin's card a minute later and I stand up. "Don't forget the box," Erwin says, handing it over to me. I smile.

Its when we're outside and Erwin's opening the door for me that I feel a hand on my arm. I look up to meet Erwin's blue eyes as he murmurs, "I know that Levi was there." I stare at him, shocked, and he gives me a shy grin. He leans forwards and gently presses his lips to my cheek chastely before murmuring.

"I'm sorry." He gently guides me inside his car and closes it before moving around to the other side. Before he can get in, though, a hand slams down on the window. I jump, my head turning quickly to see an angered Levi glaring at me through the glass. Behind him stood the woman he had arrived with. "Eren!" he shouts, his voice muffled. "Get out here!"

I stare at Levi with wide eyes. "Erwin," I whisper. The older man slams his door and locks the car. "Yes?" he asks.

"Drive."

I stare into Levi's eyes, sharp silver meeting frosty green as Erwin starts up the car. Levi grabs at the door handle futilely. He pulls at it frustratingly as he says, "Get out of the goddamn car!" His eyes burn a hole in my head, demanding I do as he says.

I only smile in reply.

Erwin backs up the car then. Levi slams his hands down on the hood, but Erwin keeps going. He safety maneuvers the car away from Levi and hurries down the street. I watch Levi in the side mirror; his hands running through his hair angrily and the woman seeming to try and calm him down. He yells something. I can't catch it, but Erwin does and he stiffens. I look over at the older man, but he keeps driving. I look back to the side mirror but we pass a corner and Levi was already gone.

The drive is silent. We don't say anything. Erwin takes one glance at me and doesn't say a word about the tears racing down my cheeks. I place a hand on my stomach, feeling warmth swell up  my chest to settle just below my heart, like earlier.

I'm here, my baby's saying. I'm here.

 

///Pillow talk///

 

Finishing doing my business, I sit down on my toilet and wait anxiously for the pregnancy test (yeah, yeah, I know. Not exactly reliable if I'm a guy, but what am I going to do?) to give my result. Its the last one of three; the rest said positive, but if this one says negative I know everything's a fluke. That I'm not pregnant.

I bite my nail nervously as I wait the agonizing minutes it takes for the result to come. My leg bounces anxiously and each tic of the clock grits on my nerves. _Come on, come on._

Finally, the last minute is up. I look down on my hands, turning the test over slowly.

Reading the results, I quadruple check the box to see if I read right.

Then I smile.

Its positive.

 

///Pillow Talk///

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *First, let me just say that there were so many path's this one chapter could've taken. I struggled not to follow them-but I really, really wanted to. 
> 
> *Second, Sorry that it took so long getting this out. Final's week came up, and we all know what that's like. 
> 
> *Oh My GOd. My hands hurt like HELL but I really wanted to get this FreAKINg CHapTer out!
> 
> Thank you for your reading. *bows*
> 
>  
> 
> * *Please keep in mind that Gypsy is a slur term, and that it is an offense to refer to the Romani people as such.


	8. Interlude

" _Hush little baby, don't say a word-_ Shit, wait, how's the song go again? Shit." 

A voice.

"I am not calling Armin or Mikasa at three in the morning just to ask them how a song goes. Jesus. I'll figure it out somehow."

From within, It could hear the Voice speaking, humming a song and murmuring a few words before cursing again. The Voice sounded frustrated, perplexing the small being with its hoarse guttural tone. It was too deep; not soft, not gentle and inviting, nor fond, or mild. 

The Voice was...strange. Different. 

It didn't know what to feel. 

"You know what? I give up. I'll just sing a song that _I_ know. You know, uniqueness and all that shit."

Rough. Untamed. Brutal. The small being shivered in its dark cocoon in fear. 

Would the Voice love It? It was so scared, so terrified. It just wanted to be loved, not hated. But would the Voice love It?

" _From ire we are, from ire we are born; to pyre we all return..._ " the Voice sings something. The words are beyond It's understanding, but...

" _Dearest daughters, Braveheart sons, we are born to burn..."_

The Voice, the Voice, singing to It. The Voice sounds silken, warm and welcoming, kind and cozy. The dark cocoon the small being is held in is surrounded in some unnamed emotion. 

 _"From ire we are, from ire we are born, to pyre we all return; Dearest daughters, Braveheart sons, thou art born to burn away all restraints of evils past, to claim thine fate surpassed..."_  

"I know, little one, makes no sense, huh? Mom used to sing it to me when I was little, and it _sounds_ pretty. But I always wondered what she meant when she said 'claim thine fate surpassed.' Maybe you know, little one. Maybe the answer is right there in front of both of us, but we can't even see it."

It was fascinated with the devotion within the Voice's tone. The tender warmth that was absent before but burned brightly now, covering It in its heat. It tried to think of a name for the emotion but the Voice continued to speak.

"I know you'll be smart. You're dad, for one thing, was smart-all that money, all that sophistication. He must've gotten into Oxford or some rich school like that. But me? Oh, I got some street smarts, love, but enough to get by. Its your Godparents that'll be helping you with homework. God knows how many missing assignments I had in high school." 

Love.

Yes, It thinks. That's it. That's the name for the emotion. The small being begins to feel a similar warmth, only a fraction of the warmth that surrounded It, swell inside Itself. It continued to listen to the Voice.

"I...I hope you don't grow up to hate me, little one. I'm sorry that you won't get to see your other father, I'm sorry you won't ever get a mother, and-and-I'm just so sorry. Sorry you won't ever get a normal life. I can just imagine the heart attack I'll have when you come home from school and ask who your mommy is. The pain I'll feel when I can't say its me.

"I'm so envious of women, little one. They feel so connected to their children, because they carried them around for nine months and went through the pain of labor to have them. I never knew that guys miss out this much when they have children. I never knew it was so much more than a life inside of you." 

The Voice sounded sad...It didn't like the sadness that dripped over into the Voice's words. It turns over inside, swirling to find out some course of action that could comfort the Voice.

"I can feel you moving around," the Voice says, a happy laughter washing over and sweeping away the sorrow. It turned over again in relief, happy it found a way to appease the Voice. "You're going to be so special, little one. I just know it. I can't wait to see you, to hold you close and tell you how much I love you."

It smiled.

"Now," the Voice says, covering It in warmth again. "Its four in the morning, love. It may be the weekend, but I have errands to do today. We can chat more later." A smooching sound, comforting. "Good night, love," the Voice whispers.

Good night, It says, turning again a few more times before settling. Good night, the Voice-no.  

Good night, Mom.  

"I love you so much already," Mom whispers. 


End file.
